Saiyuki: Switched
by KL005
Summary: Completed on 100704 Tenpou and Hakkai switch places due to simultaneous concussions. Mainly TenpouGoku and GokuHakkai, with slight SanzoGoku thrown in. Rated for language and not too graphic scenes. Don't read if you think you can't handle it.
1. Prologue

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions

**Prologue/Background info  
  
**

Tenpou Gensui was, and still is, a very unorganized man/god. Just one look at his study would tell anyone that. Books, scrolls and maps littered the whole place, and it was precisely this that set this story going. While reaching to get a map of the world from the top of a *REALLY* tall shelf, Tenpou slipped on an open scroll on the floor. In a desperate attempt to regain balance, he blindly grabbed the shelf. Unfortunately, this caused the shelf to topple over and land on him, effectively knocking him out.  
  
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In another time…  
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The Sanzo-ikkou was, as usual, engaged in their daily routine of youkai bashing. They must have been too confident, for the normally cautious Hakkai was caught by the flat side of a youkai's sword and was sent smashing into a tree, blacking out immediately.

*Notes: Yes, it's a short, slow beginning, but bear with me. Besides, this is my first ever fic, so be nice or I'll do something nasty. ^__^*


	2. Confusion

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*  
  


Italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions

  
**Chapter 1**

"Hakkai…get up…" a soft voice murmured. Tenpou tried, but failed to open his eyes. Mustering every ounce of willpower he could, he snapped his eyes open; and saw three people surrounding his bed. He immediately noticed several things were amiss.

  
For one, Goku was not wearing his chains, Konzen had cut his hair, and Kenren had seemingly stolen Konzen's hair, dyed it red, and wore it on his head. Not to mention the bed was exceptionally hard.

  
"Goku? Konzen? Kenren?" he croaked hoarsely. The response was…weird, to say the least. Only the small, monkey-like boy acknowledged his enquiry. The other two looked at him questioningly.

  
Tenpou then caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror. He noted that he was dressed in green, wearing a monocle and three clips on his left ear, his lab coat was gone, and that he had received a haircut as well.

_  
'Oh my…this is bad…'_

  
Konzen and Kenren had seemingly recovered from their shock, for Tenpou heard one of them – he wasn't sure which – say "That's what Homura called us the first time he saw us…"

  
_'Homura's here too??'_

  
Things just got worse. Tenpou decided to try and sleep this off. Without another word, he slumped back on the bed and closed his eyes, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

  
*Note: I like short chapters, so bear with me on this. ^__^*


	3. Shock

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*  
  


Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions  
  


**Chapter 2  
  
**

"Tenpou…Tenpou!!"

  
Groaning, Hakkai opened his eyes. The first thing that struck him was the messiness of the room. The next thing that hit him was his new attire. Lab coat, longer hair, glasses? How…different.

  
"Whose place is this?" he directed his question to the nearest person, Sanzo. He immediately blinked and took another look. This was Sanzo all right, but with longer hair and dressed in…purple??

  
"This is your room…don't you remember?"

  
Now Hakkai was seriously freaked out. A clean, organized person like him would never tolerate such untidiness. He decided to try and find out more. "How did I end up like this?"

  
"A shelf landed on you. You know, you should really listen to Goku sometimes. He's been trying to get you to clean this place up for ages."

  
_'Goku?'_ Hakkai was comforted by the familiarity of the name. Just then, the boy in question came bounding into the room; the only difference being the heavy chains attached to his limbs and neck.

  
"Ten-chan!! You're all right!!" he yelled, flinging himself onto Hakkai.

  
This was totally uncharacteristic, even for a ball of energy like Goku. Hakkai tried to form a coherent sentence, but was silenced by Goku's lips upon his own. The shock was too much for him to bear in his weakened state; his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out.

  
Goku blinked. Tenpou had been perfectly ok with his confession; in fact, Goku found out the taller man returned his feelings as well. Even Konzen, the most conservative of the four "friends" seemed fine with the fact that Goku loved Tenpou. So why did Tenpou appear so shocked now? Goku simply didn't understand it.  
  
As Tenpou was too heavy for Goku to carry, Konzen lent a hand and carried him to his bed. After Konzen's repeated assurances that Tenpou would be fine, Goku finally left his side and went to get some sleep himself.  
  


*Note: Chapters are in alternating POVs between Tenpou and Hakkai. Leave reviews!!*


	4. Clarification and more confusion

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions

**Chapter 4**

The next time Tenpou opened his eyes, he realized that the room was deserted. Mildly curious, he headed downstairs in search of his temporary companions. At the stairway, he overheard a rather intriguing conversation between them.

"How long are we going to be stuck here? We still have to continue west and stop Gyumaoh's revival…"

_'Gyumaoh? Didn't Nataku just kill him three days ago? Who would want to revive that pain in the ass so quickly?' _Tenpou wondered. _'I'd better clarify this.'_

Making his presence known by increasing the volume of his footsteps, he addressed the three people sitting at the table. "Didn't Gyumaoh just die three days back? Who's trying to revive him so soon?" His query was met with looks which could best be described as a mixture of shock, worry and utter disbelief. "Three days? You feeling OK, Hakkai? It's been a whopping five hundred years since what's-his-name killed Gyumaoh" the Kenren look-alike responded.

_'Five…hundred…YEARS?' _Despite his intelligence, Tenpou took quite a while to digest this information. When his brain finally finished processing the fact, he spoke again. "I think there has been a mix-up somewhere. I am not this Hakkai you speak of. I am Tenpou Gensui, marshal of the western division of Heaven's Army. Tell them, Goku."

Unfortunately for Tenpou, Goku looked just as clueless as the other two. Tenpou tried again, "Goku, do you remember what you told me two weeks ago?" If Goku could not remember his own confession, it would prove his theory – that he had been somehow thrown five hundred years into the future.

_'Two weeks ago…what could I possibly have told him that is of such great importance? I'm sure it's not food related; this is far too important.'_ Coming up empty, Goku turned to Tenpou and mutely shook his head. Tenpou sighed. Things suddenly became even more complicated.

*Note: Yes…slow progress story-wise…"


	5. Explanations

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions

**Chapter 5**

When Hakkai reawakened, his immediate line of vision was obscured by gold. Two golden eyes, to be exact. Goku smiled down at him. "I was worried when you passed out like that. Feeling better?"

"Yes…we'd better hurry. We have to resume the journey." The small boy blinked. "What journey?"

Now it was Hakkai's turn to blink. He carefully explained every detail of their journey to Goku, who listened intently. After the explanation, Goku simply stated "Nataku just killed Gyumaoh three days ago, don't you remember? You attended the welcoming ceremony and dinner as well."

Alas, Hakkai did *not* remember. As far as he was concerned, the memory didn't even exist. He shook his head. "Ok then, Goku. Assume I've lost my memory and tell me everything I need to know here."

Goku looked puzzled, but started speaking. "Well…there's Konzen. He's the one with golden hair…like the sun. He has a bad temper, so try not to get on his nerves. The guy with red hair is Ken-niichan, better known as Kenren. He's your best friend."

As Goku went on, Hakkai could relate each character to a member of the Sanzo-ikkou. Konzen was obviously Sanzo, while Kenren could have passed off as Gojyo any day. Even their characters seemed similar to their earthly counterparts, for through Goku, Hakkai learnt that he was in Heaven, his name here was Tenpou, he was one of the few who took the time to listen to Goku, and he had about 100, 000 troops under his command. However, there seemed to be something wrong, for Goku suddenly hesitated.

"What is it, Goku?"

"There's this…other thing which you may have forgotten," Goku replied, lowering his head. "Just tell me what it is. I promise I won't laugh or anything." Hakkai reassured him. "All right. Two weeks ago, I told you I loved you." Sensing the uncomfortable silence, Goku added on quickly "But you didn't mind it and since then we've been together."

Hakkai frowned, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. Of all the twisted turns of events, he was lucky enough to get this one. Even before he ended up here, he had been trying to get Goku's attention through subtle means – an extra bun here and there, fixing the rooming arrangement so they would be together, even "accidentally" walking in on him in the showers – but Goku had been oblivious to his little gestures as he was too smitten with Sanzo to care about anything else.

But now, not only did Goku love him; he had taken the initiative to say so!! Hakkai smiled even wider as he pulled Goku onto the bed and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, burying his face in the soft brown hair in the process. Even though it seemed selfish, he would assume Tenpou's identity for now, just to have Goku's love. _'Besides, it's not like I can go back to the present now,'_ he reasoned. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to be caught up in the embrace, enjoying the warmth Goku seemed to radiate with. Life seemed to be so much better.

*Notes: Longest chapter by far. Sorry for the slight delay in updates; I just had the first in a series of four exams which will be conducted throughout the year. While I cannot promise anything big like a chapter a day, I will try to do about 2 or 3 chapters a week. I'm not too happy with this chapter as it's my first time doing a love scene of any sort. So please excuse the horrible attempt. ^__^ And yay, I got my FIRST EVER review!!!*


	6. Inappropriate behaviour

**Saiyuki: Switched******

****

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions

**Chapter 6******

****

Through another few minutes of conversation, Tenpou found out that Konzen was now a monk, and a rather high-ranking one at that. He had also rescued Goku from a mountain where he had been trapped for five hundred years. Tenpou also discovered that Kenren saved his life a few years ago. _'Married couple syndrome,' _he thought wryly. And the most important thing: he was a demon, and the only things keeping him from displaying his original pointed ears were the three pieces of metal on his ear. But what he couldn't stand was that *HIS* Goku had lost his memories of the days they had spent together, and was now indifferent to him.

"I'm going to the back for a drink. You guys want anything?" Tenpou asked. Both Konzen and Kenren – _'No, Sanzo and Gojyo,'_ he corrected himself – replied in the negative. As Goku was about to do the same, Tenpou caught his eye and gave him a look which clearly meant "follow me". Goku then muttered something about getting food and went into the small kitchen. Tenpou followed promptly.

As he entered the kitchen, he noticed Goku was leaning onto the sink eating a bun, and staring out of the window. He went over to the smaller boy and let his arms encircle his waist. He immediately felt Goku start and tense up. "H…Hakkai, what are you doing?" he stuttered, evidently shocked by the sudden advance.

"I am Tenpou, not Hakkai, and on this very day, two weeks ago, you told me you loved me." Tenpou whispered softly – almost tenderly – his voice barely concealing his feelings. Goku couldn't believe his ears. Hakkai already knew that he had feelings for Sanzo, but yet he was trying to make a move on him. This was totally unacceptable, even if it was his closest friend. _'But that's not Hakkai,'_ Goku thought. _'He probably doesn't even know Sanzo and I are an item.'_

Just then, a shot rang out through the house. Sanzo stood in the doorway, positively livid. Luckily, Tenpou had opened the kitchen window earlier in the morning, or Goku would have had a faceful of glass then. Upon seeing his lover, Goku immediately broke out of the embrace and retreated a few steps.

Tenpou sighed. "Do you think a gun can stop a god?" he quietly asked, his voice betraying his anger.

Big mistake.

Fortunately, Sanzo had the presence of mind not to pull the trigger there and then. He turned sharply on his heel and strode away. Goku followed his caretaker wordlessly, head bowed. Gojyo gave Tenpou a reproaching look before doing the same. Tenpou mentally kicked himself. He had forgotten that he was now a demon; on the other side of the spectrum as compared to a god. He downed a glass of water and sighed once more. _'So much for first impressions…'_

*Notes: How am I doing so far? Please leave reviews to give feedback. I don't think the storyline should be too confusing, and the reason I wrote Tenpou like that was because he gives me the image of a fiercely possessive person.*


	7. A few days off

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 7**

After indulging in the heat that Goku's body emanated, Hakkai reluctantly broke away from him. He decided to call in sick for a while so as to get acquainted with his new surroundings. Besides, he didn't even know what his job was, and what he was supposed to do during work. Being unsure of the procedures up here, he decided to pay a visit to Kenren to consult him on the various rules he was supposed to observe at work.

Goku had apparently dozed off due to the comfortable warmth of their shared body heat; head resting on the taller man's chest. It wasn't surprising to Hakkai though. Even on earth, Goku had always said all he needed to fall asleep was some extra heat, and he always found that additional warmth in Sanzo's arms, usually after satisfying the blonde's urges. It was during those times that the green-eyed monster – no pun intended – visited Hakkai, depriving him of sleep, which always made him slightly less cheerful the follwing day. As Hakkai did not want to awaken the younger man, he gently scooped him into his arms and made his way to Kenren's quarters.

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Upon arrival at the red-haired taishou's room, Goku was roused from his sleep, probably due to the fact that Kanzeon Bosatsu had chose that precise moment to visit Konzen, causing a scream, as well as a round of hysterical laughter,  to come from the general direction of the purple-clad god's room. "Ten…pou?" Goku slurred, still uncoordinated after waking up about five seconds ago. 

"Yes, Goku?"

"Why are we at Ken-niichan's place?" Goku curiously inquired. "Well…I'm still feeling some of the after-effects of the shelf incident, so I thought I'd take some time off. Besides, you seem pretty bored when I'm working." Hakkai replied, knocking on the door at the same time. Goku immediately caught the implication in those words. _'So…he wants to spend more time with me…'_  He smiled inwardly, happy that he was going to get some quality time with his favourite marshal.

About twenty seconds later, Kenren opened the door, apparently shocked by the sudden visit. But his surprise didn't show for long. He smiled at Hakkai and made a casual remark that they were being more open about their relationship, beckoning them in at the same time. Realizing Kenren's hint, Goku smiled sheepishly and got off Hakkai's arms. Motioning for them to sit down, Kenren said, matter-of-factly, "Well, this can't be a casual visit. Anything I can do for you guys?" "Well…yes, there is, actually. I haven't been sick in the last few hundred years," Hakkai replied, hoping to all the Gods that his statement was justified, "and I need a refresher on how to apply for leave."

Kenren seemed to believe him at any rate, for he said, "Well, it's really simple. But don't worry about it. I did it while you were still unconscious. Ten days should be sufficient, right? You lover boys go have a good time during your break." Hakkai blushed furiously at this, while Goku gave a small smile and held on to Hakkai's arm. "Thanks, Kenren. I owe you." At this, the redhead grinned. "Nah, s' ok. You saved my ass enough to have the words "Property of Tenpou Gensui" stamped on it. Treat this as an installment in my big goal of repaying you...eventually." Hakkai gave a grateful grin, thanked Kenren once more, and went out of the room, Goku in tow. Now all he had to do was plan out a schedule for the Goku-filled days that were to follow. Ten days of Goku, Goku, and more Goku. Hakkai smiled in anticipation. It was going to be such fun.

*Notes: Chapters are getting longer. Must be due to prolonged writing or something. Anyway, just to clarify, Tenpou and Hakkai are referred to by their original names. The only time their names change is when other characters talk to them, as the other characters are unaware of the change. But for Tenpou, that will change in the next chapter, while Hakkai's will change in (maybe) 5 chapters' time. Don't worry about it too much. You'll understand what I mean when you carry on reading. ^__^*


	8. Apologies and thoughts

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 8**

Tenpou thought about his predicament for a long time. _'Well, it's obvious that I screwed up big-time back there. What should I do now? Apologize? To whom? Goku or Sanzo?'_ He frowned, in a dilemma. Then, out of the blue, it hit him. Simply meet up with both of them, and hammer everything out, face to face.

Going up to the room which Sanzo and Goku shared, Tenpou knocked on the door quietly. A slight rustling told him the room wasn't completely devoid of occupants. Without any prompting, he entered the room and found that both people in question were seated at the table, across from each other, doing absolutely nothing. The tension between them was thick and heavy. Evidently, Sanzo had not forgotten the little episode in the kitchen, and had not accepted Goku's multiple attempts at an apology.

Seeing this, Tenpou wanted to punch the blonde monk for making Goku's life difficult. But he reminded himself that that was not his objective in coming up, and that would only fan the already-raging flames of the situation. "Sanzo, Goku, it's best that we clear the air between us," Tenpou began to speak. _'Ok, that's a good start…'_ "Well, Sanzo, Goku already knows this, but for your understanding, the Goku I knew told me he loved me two weeks ago. When I saw this Goku again, I guess my feelings got the better of me. I'm sorry."

Sanzo's amethyst eyes met the green ones of the person seated to his left, and he said, "Look here, Hakkai, Tenpou, or whatever, I don't care what you heard and when you heard it. But let's get this straight. THIS Goku is not the one you knew previously. If you try anything funny again, I assure you you'll live – or die – to regret it." "I understand. Thank you for listening." With that, Tenpou rose from his seat and exited the room, desperate to remove himself from the immediate zone of discomfort.

Upon going down the stairs, Tenpou met the remaining member of the Sanzo-ikkou. Gojyo sighed. "Look Hak…Tenpou, Sanzo really loves that chibi saru. You may not know this, but he nearly used his sutra on a young man who tried to pick Goku up. I think you'd better stay away from them, for the time being anyway." Hearing this, Tenpou's heart practically broke, and he cradled his head in his hands. Gojyo couldn't stand to see his friend look so downcast. Even though they had never met before, he found that he could empathize with the person within Hakkai's body. So he cheered Tenpou up the only way he knew how. "Wanna go to town for a drink?"

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Tenpou returned back to their rented house at about 1:00 a.m., supporting an unconscious Gojyo who was, to use one of the redhead's own phrases, "drunk off his ass". He realized that in this body, excessive alcohol only made him sleepy; he was still perfectly coherent. In heaven, five cups of liquor was already enough to make him see stars. Dumping Gojyo in his room, he headed back to his sleeping quarters to get the sleep he craved. Unfortunately, Sanzo and Goku had chosen that particular night to engage in certain noisy nocturnal activities, and Tenpou's ears were constantly assaulted by the screams of "Ahhh…Sanzo!!" and various other muttered remarks. All of a sudden, he didn't feel sleepy any more, and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, after an exhausting night of mutual gratification, Goku was curled up in Sanzo's arms, his back to the older man's chest; much in the same way Tenpou had held him earlier on. He turned back and asked, "Sanzo? Do you think you were a little hard on Tenpou earlier on?" "Maybe so, but I'm never letting anybody take you away from me, ever. Or I may grow to hate the sun as well." The monk replied, keeping his eyes closed. Goku smiled. It was only during the times when they were alone that Sanzo would show his softer side. He weighed the words carefully. _'Or I may grow to hate the sun as well.'_ Did he mean that much to Sanzo? The very fact that Sanzo used this method of comparison signified that Goku meant almost as much to him as the late Koumyou Sanzo had. Even though he sympathized with Tenpou, he couldn't offer him anything as his heart, body and soul belonged to Sanzo, as Sanzo's belonged to him. He moved closer to the monk, who reflexively tightened his embrace around his charge-turned-lover's waist. And it was in this position they stayed, enjoying each other's silent company.

*Note: Slight sidetrack towards the end, but the storyline's basic structure is still there. They refer to Tenpou as "Tenpou" now because he told them that 2 chapters ago. Just so you know. ^__^ And sorry for the abrupt ending.*


	9. Preparation

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 9**

It seemed that Goku had privately told Kenren about Hakkai's apparent loss of memory, for Hakkai also found himself holding a little notebook containing the ever-handy teleportation spell, a list of good inns (_'On earth?'_ Hakkai thought amusedly), as well as a few other useful spells for almost all situations. Hakkai walked as he read the book, trying his best to focus on the route back as well. But he found that he never had to worry about losing his way even when completely distracted, for Goku was there to guide him; gently holding his free arm, turning him in the right direction. _'Seems like this Tenpou guy does this all the time,'_ Hakkai mused, relieved that he hadn't blown his cover yet.

However, when Hakkai next looked up, he found himself outside Konzen's office. When the owner of the room opened the door, Goku leapt at him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Konzen, who was busy disentangling himself from the tight embrace, looked up and asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Hakkai, obviously uncomfortable with Goku's forward expression of affection, replied, "I'm not too sure myself. I was distracted – reading while walking – and Goku brought us here." Konzen rolled his eyes as he finally pried Goku's grasp loose.

"Well saru? What is it?"

At this, Goku looked up and replied, "Me and Tenpou are going on a short vacation, and I wanted to say goodbye to you before we leave tomorrow." The blonde-haired god rolled his eyes again as he sighed. "Fine. Goodbye and don't get killed." Hakkai, remembering the similarities in character between Sanzo and Konzen, knew this was the closest to "take care" Konzen could offer. Smiling, Hakkai turned to leave, but Konzen caught his shoulder and said in an undertone, "Don't worry. I may give Goku light, but you provide him with the warmth of life."

Hakkai gave Konzen a genuine smile then, positively radiating with happiness as he entwined his fingers in Goku's and began the trip back to their now-shared room. Once they reached the room, Goku flopped down on the bed, his eyes following the every movement of his lover, who was currently seated at the messy desk, trying to clean it up while planning the details of their trip. "So we reach earth at about dawn, in time for the sunrise at a beach. Then we…" Hakkai went on with his soft murmuring as he mapped out the way they would spend their time for the next few days, stacking papers at the same time. After an insanely long period of time, Goku found himself battling sleep as he lay on the bed. '_No…must stay…awake; hear Tenpou's…plannn……'_ Even though Goku put up a valiant struggle, sleep got the better of him. As his head fell back and his eyes closed, his last coherent thought was _'mmm…Tenpou…so beautiful…all mine…'_

After another insanely long period of time, Hakkai asked, "Goku, do you know the maximum distance the teleportation spe…" his query died on his lips as he saw the object of his affection lying spread-eagled on the bed. Glancing out of the window, Hakkai saw that the sky had turned dark already. _'My, how long have I been sitting there?'_ he wondered, stifling a yawn while simultaneously stretching. _'Well it's been long enough to make me tired,'_ he continued, sighing. Deciding to join the smaller form on the bed, Hakkai took off his lab coat and glasses and noted that Goku was hogging the pillow. Seeing this, he grinned. He had no choice but to use another pillow that night.

He then laid his head upon Goku's stomach region, hoping it wouldn't wake him up. When he was satisfied that Goku was indeed as soundly asleep as before, he closed his eyes, and became aware of things he would have normally overlooked. He could hear Goku's steady heartbeat, as well as feel the soft hardness of the boy's abdominal muscles. Marvelling at the sheer perfection of Goku's body, Hakkai smiled again. He had all the time in the world to explore and discover every single sensitive spot on it.

Sometime during Hakkai's thinking process, Goku must have sensed the presence of a foreign body on him, for the fingers of one of his hands twisted itself into the long brown strands of hair on the head lying on his abdomen. And in his sleep, he smiled.

*Note: Wow…I seem to like writing the Hakkai in heaven part of the fic more. And yes, I know it's a little cheesy in some places. For that, I apologize. ^__^" If you do notice any plot-holes or inadequacies, please inform me. Thanks!! ^__^*


	10. The journey resumes?

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, words between * *'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 10**

Tenpou felt like he had just closed his eyes before they were pried open by the sun's bright rays. _'The sun…oh the irony of it all…'_ Haphazardly making his bed, he went into the adjoining room, duty bound (or so he thought) to wake the sleeping couple. As he approached the room, he anticipated the sight he would see, dreading that it would be true. Just when he was about to knock, a bleary-eyed Goku opened the door, obviously in search of breakfast. Seeing Tenpou at the door, he jumped back in shock. "Wha…what are you doing here?" he asked warily. Not waiting for a reply, he continued, "Sanzo says we have to resume the journey by this afternoon, regardless of who you are." Then added in an undertone, "You *can* fight, right?"

Fortunately, Tenpou knew a little about hand-to-hand combat and thus, he nodded. Goku saw the sign of affirmation, nodded, and headed for the kitchen. Tenpou then headed over to Gojyo's room to inform him and enquire about the details of their journey. As he walked, he wondered, _'Maybe I could work some magic to summon a weapon…provided this body can handle the strain…and if the magic would actually work. I'm not a god anymore after all…'_ He decided to try it later.

Upon reaching Gojyo's room, he opened the door and went in. Remembering that Gojyo had gotten drunk the previous night, he took care to be extra careful. Glancing over at the bed, he found the owner to be missing. Strangely, something told him to check the bathroom. The first thing he saw when he entered was that the person in question was sprawled on the floor, still in deep sleep. He then decided to try something that had always worked with Kenren. He lifted Gojyo up, put his head under the shower, and turned it on full-blast. Within seconds, the redhead was screaming, "Cold! COLD!!! Damn you, turn it off!!" Tenpou smiled his first genuine smile since he found himself to be on earth. _'Kenren always gave this exact reaction…'_

After he was convinced that Gojyo had finally sobered up, Tenpou turned the cold spray off and said briskly, "We're resuming the journey in the afternoon, and I'm coming along. That's why I need to know several things about what you've done so far. Like what do I usually do, how long do we travel between stops…you know, the usual stuff." Hearing this, Gojyo looked up, evidently in shock. "But you're not even Hakkai! How can they expect you to do his job?" After several moments of convincing, Gojyo finally relented. "Well, you're basically the driver, healer, inventory manager, and babysitter for the saru. But don't worry. Hakuryu – that's the little white dragon – is capable of driving himself, while you can pick up the rest of the skills on the job."

Tenpou groaned, visibly distressed. _'A marshal of the West Division of Heaven's Army…reduced to this…'_ But he would try to adapt. Leaving Gojyo's room, he went out to the clearing behind the small house to see what he could do. Standing in the middle of the area of flat land, he gathered his energy as he tried a simple fire spell. Unfortunately, the spell died shortly after it began, leaving a few wisps of smoke as the only evidence it had even been invoked. Feeling discouraged, Tenpou then decided to try the teleportation spell, just for the hell of it. Focusing on Sanzo's room, he closed his eyes and began the chant; surprised at feeling the familiar pull of the spell taking effect. As he uttered the last word of the incantation, he opened his eyes and found himself in Sanzo's room, which unfortunately housed a half-naked Goku.

Before Goku could react, Tenpou had his hand clamped over the boy's mouth, effectively silencing him. He was too mystified to even think about Goku's current state of semi-undress. "Why did the complex teleportation spell work when the basic fire spell failed?" he muttered, hoping to come up with an answer. "Obviously, someone has a very strong water element, while the fire element is weak," he went on. "Besides, I didn't do that much research into the fire element, and I'm a wind element by nature, thus aiding the teleportation spell…oh sorry Goku, I'll just be on my way now." The boy had just elbowed him hard in the ribs, causing him to be acutely aware of his surroundings. Fortunately, Sanzo had not finished with his breakfast yet, giving Tenpou ample time to make his getaway. After Tenpou had embarrassedly left the room, Goku wondered, "What was that all about?"

During lunch, the members of the Sanzo-ikkou had their last good meal together for a few days. It was then that Tenpou made his suspicions known. "If you'll pardon me for asking, who's the strongest water element here?" Everybody looked towards Sanzo. "Ah…that explains a lot…and who's the other wind element?" Now it was Gojyo's turn to be under the spotlight. Tenpou knew that Goku was an earth element, evident from his peculiar birth. "Hmmm…all right then. I have discovered that I still retain knowledge of some useful spells I used in Heaven. Thus, I plan to impart the art of healing to Goku, and the skill of teleportation to Gojyo. Unfortunately, I do not study the water element and have nothing to advise Sanzo on. Is that agreeable with everyone?" Receiving an enthusiastic "Yes!" from Goku, a look of interest from Gojyo, and the usual nonchalant expression from Sanzo, Tenpou smiled as he went back to eating his food once more. Travelling might turn out to be fun.

*Notes: Yes…the elements thing is created by me, but loosely based on the original story which Saiyuki is based on. Technically, Gojyo should be the water element, but I thought Sanzo would suit the role better as he's Kouryu the River Drifter. Hope the ending wasn't too sudden. Leave reviews!! ^__^*


	11. The break begins

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 11**

Surprisingly, it was Goku who woke up first the next morning, at around 5:00am. Trying (and failing) to get up, he saw the reason for his impediment, namely the head lying on his mid-section. Gently shaking the shoulders the aforementioned head was attached to, he quietly said, "Tenpou…time to get up. It's the first day of your break…" And it was thus that Hakkai was roused from his dreams of doing some extremely naughty things to the very person who woke him up. When he saw Goku, he instantly livened up, despite getting all of five hours' sleep the night (or early morning) before.

Once they had gathered everything they needed and done several checks for any items they might have overlooked, they decided to head for earth. Opening up the notebook Kenren had thoughtfully provided, Hakkai flipped to the page with "Teleportation" written across the top of the page in big block letters. After mentally going through the words a few times, he felt he was ready. He was about to try to begin the teleportation, but a voice behind him burst into his thoughts, saying, "It's no use to merely read the words. You have to focus all your energy and have some impression of where you want to end up."

Turning around, Hakkai saw the ever-teasing Goddess of Mercy depriving Goku of air as the boy was being crushed in the Goddess' tight hold. "Sorry…he's too adorable for words. Couldn't resist." was Kanzeon's best (and only) attempt at explanation. Hakkai brushed it aside for now as he watched an indignant Goku try to chew off the arm which had previously suffocated him. "Anyway," Kanzeon continued, ignoring Goku's futile attempts to maim her, "If you continue this way, you'll never reach earth in time for the sunrise." Ignoring Hakkai's look of utter disbelief, she smiled, for once looking as merciful and kind as she was portrayed to be. "Let me give you a lift." She began muttering an abbreviated version of the chant, and before they knew it, Hakkai and Goku found themselves on earth. Or more specifically, on a sandy beach with one of Kenren's recommended inns close by.

_'Wow…that woman knows her stuff.'_ Hakkai thought. But his thoughts were cut short as Goku, who was standing at his side, put one arm around his waist and motioned for him to watch the sun, which had already risen up from the sea's cover and begun its majestic ascent into the dark sky, leaving various shades of pink and red in its wake. The entire scene was perfect. Just the two of them, enjoying the silence, alone with the elements. Hakkai put his arm around the smaller figure as well, savouring the moment. As the sun took its usual place in the now-blue sky, Goku exhaled sharply. "That was beautiful," he whispered, as if afraid to spoil the moment. "Better than Konzen's hair?" Hakkai teased. "No…" the boy replied, not catching on to the joke. "How can it be when they are the same thing?" Hakkai grinned, pulling him in for a kiss. _'Such innocence…'_

Only when they had broken apart did they realize they were no longer alone. An old man was seated a distance away from them, carrying a camera and art supplies. "Think he's here to paint the sunrise?" they asked each other simultaneously. Laughing at their apparent telepathy, they decided to ask him, since it was on the way to the inn. When they approached the man, he wordlessly handed two snapshots over to them. One was of them watching the sunrise, while the other was taken during their kiss. Goku saw this, blushed, and ran up to the inn, head bowed. The old man then smiled at Hakkai. "You remind me of myself forty-two years ago or so," he said. "Keep these as souvenirs, and I'll be here at sunrise and sunset, should you want more." He turned back to his painting once more, and Hakkai saw that he was replicating the first photograph onto the canvas, almost completely from memory. Feeling awkward, he muttered a quick "Thanks" and started a leisurely walk to the inn.

---------

At the inn, he saw a distressed Goku at the counter. "Tenpou, this guy says we need something called 'money' to get rooms! Do you have any?" At this, Hakkai started searching in his coat's numerous pockets. Fortunately, he found a gold card, reminiscent of Sanzo's, and presented it to the receptionist. _'I guess every god has one of these…hope that Tenpou won't mind us using it for the next ten days.'_ Checking the card's limit, Hakkai found that though it was not inexhaustible like Sanzo's, it was still able to withstand a substantial amount of spending. He got them a single room – the best in the inn, and explained the concept of money to Goku as they made their way there.

At the room, Hakkai set their belongings down and gaped. The man hadn't been kidding when he said it was the best room they had. It was spacious, yet cozy enough for both of them. Peering into the bathroom, the bathtub instantly caught his eye. It could have easily accommodated four people! Ideas on how to make use of the space began formulating in his head, but Goku pulled him out through the door again, the simple explanation being, "Breakfast time!" Hakkai sighed, but not irritably, as he allowed himself to be dragged to the inn's dining area. _'I'm gonna enjoy this break…and I really have to thank Kenren for this.'_

*Notes: Let's assume that the gods go magic as well ok? And yes, the part about Tenpou's gold card is total BS as far as the real Saiyuki storyline goes, but we have to improvise here. ^__^ Once again, ***please* **excuse cheesiness and leave reviews!*


	12. The first fight

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, words between * *'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 12**

As they finished their meal, the new-and-(hopefully)-improved Sanzo-ikkou resumed their journey. Gojyo had found Hakuryu hiding under his bed and now, he was in jeep-mode, waiting for everyone to make final preparations and resume the journey. Sanzo had been the quickest; occupying his usual front-seat place in the green vehicle as he waited for the other three. Goku was doing a raid of the cupboards and refrigerator, holding anything edible as hostages. Tenpou had been the second fastest after gathering all of Hakkai's belongings, which did not amount to a lot. Unfortunately, as he tried to get into the driver's seat, Hakuryu had slammed the door shut as he was not comfortable unless being driven by his original owner.

"Perceptive one, aren't you?" Gojyo addressed the jeep as he noticed what happened. After another few failed attempts to get in, Tenpou sighed and sat at the back. "Aww…come on." Gojyo prodded the jeep at its fuel tank, which Tenpou assumed would have been the stomach of the white dragon. "Oh well," he sighed. "Oi, Sanzo…" he began, but was cut off by the blonde monk saying, "No Gojyo, the chance of me driving us until the real Hakkai gets back is as much as a snowball's lifespan in Engokuki's mouth is long. And the saru's too young and inexperienced to drive." "Damn. I'm always stuck with the shit," Gojyo sighed, but climbing into the driver's seat nevertheless. "GOKU!! YOU HAVE ALL OF *THREE SECONDS* TO GET IN!!" Sanzo screamed for the boy. "Fine, fine," Goku came out of the house, arms full of the various foodstuffs he had hidden around the house. Dumping them between Tenpou and himself, he got into the jeep, and after a quick shouting match between him and Gojyo, the engine revved and they were off west again.

----------

The first four hours passed rather uneventfully for Tenpou, for the simple reason that he was asleep for three of those hours. But for the remaining hour, he feigned sleep, wanting to observe the usual behaviour of the others. He saw that Goku and Gojyo argued frequently, and this really wore Sanzo's already-limited patience thin. He estimated Goku and Gojyo had fought at least five times in half an hour, and it was often due to Goku's hunger. Sanzo had screamed once, got up and fired his gun three times, and finally tossed Goku a packet of dried fish in a last-ditch attempt to silence him. After Goku had polished off the fish, he leaned forward and put his head on Sanzo's shoulder in silent apology. And even though Sanzo did not react positively to this gesture, he made no attempt to push the boy away either. Tenpou felt a pang of jealousy. Was Goku trying to get back at him for the teleportation incident earlier on? He quickly dismissed the thought. Goku didn't have a malicious heart; he wouldn't be so petty either. Tenpou sank back into slumber after convincing himself.

The next time he was awakened, he found that Gojyo had been the one to wake him up as a band of about fifty demons had surrounded the jeep. Tenpou closed his eyes and tried summoning a silver spear, his favourite weapon in heaven. Unfortunately, the summoning was to no avail, and he had no choice but to rely on his fists. Summoning his energy, he realized that the flow was much smoother as compared to when he was in heaven. _'Probably due to the constant practice this body's been through,'_ he surmised. Deciding to capitalize on this advantage, he filled one hand with all the energy he could wield without taxing himself and used it like a sword to slice through the throng of demons. Any demon that came into the slightest contact with the glowing appendage instantly disintegrated. And while the others killed about ten demons each, Tenpou single-handedly took down twenty. After finishing off the last demon, Tenpou found himself subjected to the others' scrutiny. "Wow…Hakkai never thought of using the energy like that," Goku panted, still tired. "Well," Tenpou replied, "These new techniques will be integrated into the body's muscle-memory so that Hakkai can use them if we ever switch back." As it was getting dark, they decided that it was pointless to travel any further that day, and thus they set up camp in a small clearing on the edges of a forest.

Goku was away gathering firewood for dinner when Sanzo approached Tenpou. "Look. About the other day, I won't say I'm sorry, but I may have been too harsh. Goku is one of the two things I truly love; the first being my late mentor, Koumyou Sanzo. I cannot afford to lose him." Tenpou sighed in resignation. "I understand, but to me, Goku is the one thing this world has in common with heaven. And I can't lose that either." Sanzo let the barest ghost of a feral grin flit across his face. "If you want a contest, you've got it." _'So, we're playing for Goku's attention now? You've got a deal.'_ Tenpou smiled as well, but there was a hidden ferocity beneath the smile; so well hidden that the normally-guarded Sanzo failed to pick up.

As they finished dinner, Tenpou addressed the group, "Well, I'm feeling a little tired today, so what do you say I begin teaching you all the techniques tomorrow?" Receiving nods of assent from his prospective students, Tenpou smiled and retired for the night. He had lots of planning to do.

*Notes: I'm sure Sanzo wouldn't do this, but I needed something to spice the journey up. Hope all the Sanzo/Goku lovers don't mind this! And Tenpou's weapon is also semi-made-up as it was based on the original Journey to the West, where Tenpou's character was a pig. The actual weapon this pig demon used was a rake, but a spear isn't too far off, right? Please leave reviews on how to make the story better, even if it's "Damn I hate this storyline and you should burn in hell!" ^__^"*


	13. A long walk

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between 's are actions, words between 's are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 13**

_'Time flies when you're having fun…'_ Hakkai absently thought as he sleepily made his way to the luxurious en-suite bathroom of their room. Five days of their little holiday were up already, and he was beginning to wish he had a way of asking Kenren to apply for a few more days' (_'or weeks', if possible,'_ he hoped) additional leave on his behalf. Knowing that it was virtually impossible to do so, he decided to make even better use of the remaining four days of their break. He splashed cold water on his face to help him wake up, and examined himself in the mirror. Due to the hot, tropical weather of the area they were in, he had ditched the lab coat and tie in hopes of minimizing heat retention. His eyes travelled down to his collarbone, where a purplish mark was becoming visible; a product of Goku's overly-active mouth.

Judging from the time they slept the previous night, due to Goku wanting to watch the late-night movie marathon on TV, Hakkai estimated that he had another half an hour before the hyperactive boy woke up. Thus, he decided to give himself a treat – in the form of a nice, long, steamy, relaxing, hot, luxurious bath. Allowing the bathtub to fill up with hot water, he took off his clothes and quickly washed himself to avoid dirtying the water later. Seeing that the water level in the bathtub was adequate, he slowly immersed himself into the water, feeling his skin tingle pleasantly at the heat. _'I haven't done this since…well…ever, I suppose,'_ he thought, lazily making ripples on the calm water surface. _'Man, what have I missed out on all these years?'_ He sighed in pleasure as the warmth seemed to diffuse into his body, warming him from the inside-out.

After a long while, Hakkai felt that he had had enough indulgence for one day. Moreover, his shoulder, neck and back muscles were becoming tensed up from sitting in the same position for too long. He tried leaning forward into the water to ease the tension in them, but as he resurfaced, he felt a pair of strong, skilled hands giving him the back-rub of his life. "mmm…didn't think you'd be up so early," he gasped as the hands worked on a knot of muscle. "Well, the bed was getting cold without you in it," the other voice replied, "And besides, from all this steam, I can safely say you've been in here for a good twenty minutes." Hakkai laughed at this. "Yes, I guess so. Feel like joining me? There's plenty of room." Goku didn't need a second offer. Within seconds, and with a little help from Hakkai, he had divested himself of clothing and was now sitting comfortably alongside the older man. Hakkai took full advantage of this, snaking an arm around Goku's waist, drawing him closer. He then set his lips to work, exploring the younger man's jaw and neck, leaving a similar mark in a form of compensation. Goku drew in a sharp breath at the contact. _'ooh…Tenpou was so devilish…he would pay for it at night,'_ Goku bared his teeth in a teasing grin, but it was erased before Hakkai could notice it.

Deciding they had better move on with the day's intended activities, they got out of the tub and towelled themselves (and each other) dry. Slipping their clothes on, they cleaned the bathroom of all the condensation produced by the steam, drained the tub, and headed out to the town that was about a kilometre's distance from the inn. But before leaving, Hakkai checked the calendar atop the TV to reconfirm the date. He grinned as well, mimicking Goku's earlier face. Thankfully, the latter did not notice the sudden change in his lover's facial expression either. "So…what's in store for us today?" the ever-inquisitive Goku asked. Mentally running through all the activities they had done in the past days, Hakkai shrugged, "We've done everything in my plans and more…I really have no ideas at the moment." Goku smiled at this, "Good. What d'you say we simply take a walk through the marketplace?" "Sounds fine to me," the taller man responded.

----------

While they were walking around the marketplace, they noticed the old man who enjoyed painting sunrises and sunsets, and who had helped them take the two photos on their first day at the beach. As they went up to the old man, he handed them fifty dollars, his explanation being, "Some rich lady bought the painting of your photo a few days back. Hope you all don't mind me selling it. This is what she paid for the painting. It's yours." Hakkai, who was smiling shyly, told the man, "It's fine. You keep the money. You earned it." The man then thanked them again as they continued their walk. "Tenpou, don't you feel uncomfortable that details of our private moments may be hanging on someone's wall for the whole world to see?" Goku was obviously uneasy about the idea. "No…not really," Hakkai answered, "If we can help beautify the world, we should." Seeing that Goku was satisfied with the explanation, they then continued their walk.

----------

In the evening, they decided to head to the beach that was near to the inn. _'Hopefully there's no tide tonight…'_ Hakkai prayed to all the gods he knew in hopes of low tides. As their feet made contact with the soft sand, they took off their footwear and using a little incantation, Hakkai made the shoes levitate, following them as they walked. While making their way across the beach, Goku interlinked the fingers of his right hand with those of Hakkai's left. Noticing the little action, Hakkai clasped them tightly, hoping to provide the same sense of security to the owner of the smaller fingers. As they walked, they bore witness to a sunset as magnificent as the sunrise they had seen five days ago. When it was about 8:00pm, Hakkai saw his destination – a little section of the beach surrounded by tall rocks and the sea. He brought Goku into the little area the rocks enclosed, and Goku noticed that some blankets had been put over the sand; and on top of these blankets lay a huge, covered basket.

"Goku?" the other man's soft voice jolted him back to reality. "You know what date it is today?" Goku shook his head, perplexed by the nature of the question. "Well, it's the fifth of April, and from what Konzen told me, this was the day you were born and subsequently entrusted to him. Happy birthday Goku." Hakkai smiled warmly, reaching into the basket to pull out the biggest cake the boy had ever laid eyes on. Goku positively beamed with delight as he felt an indescribable surge of warmth and joy surge through his entire body.

After they each had a generous share of the cake, Hakkai reached into the basket once more, taking out a silver ring which had a gold chain threaded through it. He went behind Goku and fastened the chain around his neck, at the same time lowering his mouth to the boy's ear and saying, "Goku, I don't know if anything will change in two hundred years, two years, two months, or even two days in the future, but I love you now and I want this feeling to stay with us forever." Even though Goku was extremely pleased and touched by this, he inexplicably found his eyes to be brimming with tears. "Silly boy. Are you that happy?" Hakkai asked, using his thumb to brush away the tears. Being too overwhelmed to speak, the "silly boy" just nodded, pulling Hakkai close as he buried his face in the slender man's chest, a muffled "I love you too." coming from him.

Hakkai just let himself be carried away by the tremendous feelings washing over the both of them. This was all he ever wanted; Goku in his arms, saying those exact four words to him. Even if he had to go back now, he would do it willingly. _'On second thought, if I'm being hurried to go back, give me at least one more day.'_ he thought as he pushed Goku onto the ground. He had a busy night ahead of him.

Notes: Longest chapter by far. Hope it wasn't too bad. I won't reveal anything major here, lest I give a future plot twist away. Anyway, many, many thanks to my 4 most faithful (and only) reviewers: keistie, ChaosDaughter, Anael Razualle, and Kyaroru-chan. You guys have made many of my days through your little comments and suggestions. BIG round of applause Thanks once again, and keep reviewing!! btw. I did get Goku's birthday right, didn't I?


	14. Reflections

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? *does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.*

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between ^ ^'s are actions, words between * *'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 14**

The concept of sleeping and camping in the wilderness had initially appealed greatly to Tenpou, but after doing it for five days straight, it seemed to him that he must have been stupid – no, retarded – to even have considered the idea. His back was sore from lying on the hard forest floor every night. Thankfully, Gojyo had taken over as the designated driver, or else Tenpou would definitely collapse if he had to take up the additional duty of driving. As he lay on the unyielding earth, waiting for sleep to come to him, he began to do a little reflection on the past days.

Traveling had been monotonous; the only time they had the slightest bit of fun was during a demon ambush, but that was quickly getting boring as well. Even the arguments between Goku and Gojyo were becoming repetitive. Thus, with no way to kill time, Tenpou opted to sleep through the day and save his energy for the nightly lessons with Gojyo and Goku. Speaking of their nightly lessons, both his students were making drastic improvement, mainly due to their natural affinity with their respective elements and the skills they were learning. This affinity was so great that they had only taken a few days to master what others would take weeks just to get familiar with.

Goku was turning out to be an efficient healer, helping Tenpou in attending to anyone who had been wounded in their battles. Currently, Goku was only capable of healing shallow cuts caused by the demons' claws; but he was improving steadily and would soon be able to deal with more severe injuries, say a fracture or a sprain, or maybe even cure some illnesses.

Gojyo had been improving by leaps and bounds as well. Even though his teleportation wasn't instantaneous like Tenpou's, he had way exceeded the marshal's expectations as he actively and constantly put his new knowledge to use on the battlefield, saving the others plenty of precious time by attacking an unwary demon from the back, dramatically shortening their encounters and getting the necessary practice as well.

And yes…the highlight of the journey so far. Playing against Sanzo for Goku's affection. Tenpou thought that he had been rather successful, using the time during the night lessons to drop some hints here and there, spending more time on Goku than on Gojyo; even going as far as to direct a stream of energy to Goku's nether regions under the pretext of teaching him to identify the location of an elusive pressure point. When Goku questioned him about this, Tenpou had said it was a slip and that it was a common mistake that anyone could make. However, it seemed that Goku was not unfamiliar to the feeling, for he said that it "felt like Sanzo's…" before abruptly cutting himself off and excusing himself for the rest of the night. Luckily, Gojyo had been in deep meditation quite a distance away, and did not witness the entire scene at all.

Sanzo was having much better luck than Tenpou. Goku had approached him and told him about the entire incident. Sanzo sighed, but inwardly, he was happy as Goku went to confide in him without him making the first move. He decided not to let Goku in onto their little wager yet, for fear that the boy might directly confront Tenpou and spoil the fun. Hey…Tenpou wasn't the only one feeling bored after all…even high-ranking monks needed an occasional break.

After hearing Goku out, Sanzo pulled the boy close and kissed him, whispering, "I'm sure it was a genuine mistake. Just let it pass this time, ok?" After receiving a reply in the affirmative, Sanzo held Goku in his arms, and the both of them drifted off to sleep, with Sanzo's last thought being, _'You're gonna have to do *much* better than that, Tenpou Gensui.'_

*Notes: I know this chapter is definitely much shorter, but I'm having a bad encounter with writer's block for this part of the fic, for the simple reason that I like writing romantic stuff better. I already have a vague storyline laid out for the other part; right to the ending. So I'm gonna see if I can twist this thing to suit it. Sorry for the poor quality of this chapter. V__V"*


	15. Captives

**Saiyuki: Switched**

****

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between 's are actions, words between 's are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 15**

As the two figures on the beach lay in peaceful sleep, twenty-five pairs of red, glowing eyes watched them from the forest close by. It disgusted them; one of their number being restrained by that golden headband and forced to work for a god, an I'm-too-holy-for-you waste of the earth's space. The only thing that disgusted them more than that – if it was even possible – was that the strongest demon on earth, heck, on anywhere, was doing it willingly. Unable to bear it any longer, they decided to separate the two eternally – irregardless of the repercussions that might ensue. And it was because of this that Goku and Hakkai found themselves chained to a cave wall when they awoke, surrounded by a group of leering demons.

As they noticed that their captives had woken up, the demons formed a circle around them, and waited for them to get accustomed to the dim lighting of the cave. When the prisoners had done so, the leader stepped up and asked Goku a simple question, "Why?" "Wh…why what?" Goku s voice tailed off, shocked at the abrupt question. "Why do you work for this piece of filth called a god? The ones who are supposed to be merciful, and yet have slain so many of our brothers over the ages?" Goku was struck dumb by this bit of information. _'Gods killed demons? Even good ones? But not all gods are like that…what about Konzen, Kenren and Tenpou?'_ "No, that's not true…" he said softly, but he was ignored.

Hakkai opened his mouth to back Goku up, but was slapped in the face for his efforts. "You have no right to speak here, scum," another demon jeered. All the demons were now taking turns to hurl abuse at Hakkai, who was being slapped, kicked, and abused in almost all ways possible. Due to his limbs being bound together, Hakkai could only silently put up with the mistreatment, hoping that he could find an opening by which to escape.

Meanwhile, Goku was pleading desperately with the leader. However the leader only laughed. "The only was we'll let you go is if your friend here gives up the thing most precious to him. That is, his life." Goku's eyes opened wide at this statement. Surely Tenpou wouldn't be that stupid? Unfortunately, as he formed that thought, he saw his lover nod in assent.

Now Goku knew about the old cliché, but for the next few minutes, everything did seem to happen in slow motion. The leader drew his dagger, and stabbed the taller man over and over again in the chest and abdomen. As he watched the love of his life slump over, Goku screamed, long and loud. The last thing he saw was the tiniest trace of a smile on the other man's lips, before the world became a dark red haze.

For Hakkai, however, it was the exact opposite. He vaguely remembered the feeling of the cold steel blade penetrating into his chest, and into the same place that scar would have been on his real body. Before he lost consciousness, he heard Goku yelling, and more importantly, saw the golden band on the boy's head glowing, with a network of cracks appearing on it. He had wanted to reassure Goku that everything was going to be fine; that they would make it out without any major problems, but he passed out due to excessive loss of blood.

_'He's dead. He's gone. And I didn't do anything…"_ Thoughts, as well as images, began to flood Goku's mind. Images of the times they held each other, the times they spent together in heaven and on earth, and of the small smile before he died. But the one that stood out the most was the wonderful night on the beach. _'And it'll never happen again…'_ Realizing this, Goku gave up whatever control he had over himself, abandoning his body to his other side.

The diadem shattered.

Seiten Taisei Son Goku stood amidst the carnage, smiling. The demons were pathetic. Their chains had snapped apart as soon as he flexed his wrists. Even the restraints from heaven had broken. Seeing this, the demons had tried to run, fight, and even beg him for mercy. This amused him the most. Why should he spare them when they hadn't spared the person dearest to him? Every single demon had been sent to meet their maker in the exact same fashion; lungs and heart ripped out by razor-sharp claws, windpipe crushed by strong hands. But it still wasn't enough. The whole world should feel pain – his pain. The pain of knowing someone loved you, and losing that person in a blink of an eye. He made a beeline for the city. There were many people there to share his pain. He couldn't wait.

----------

Hakkai groaned as he sat up. Strangely, he didn't feel injured at all. Hell sure looked…colder than he'd imagined. And it smelled rotten too. Then he noticed the decomposing bodies on the floor, which was stained red from the blood, throwing the fragments of Goku's limiter into sharp relief. _'Oh shit,'_ was his only coherent thought at that moment. As he got up, he was dimly aware of the fact that his wounds had closed up, leaving no evidence that he had ever been hurt. He started running, and somehow wound up on the beach. Looking towards the sky, he saw that the sun was sinking into the sea, heralding the ascension of the moon. Beginning to run again, he noticed that he had reached the old painter, who was painting the sunset.

Unexpectedly, a sense of tranquility washed over him. He began pouring out his concerns and fears to the old man, who listened patiently. When Hakkai was done, the old man reached into a bag and handed him a painting. "Now tell me what this is," the old man asked. "It's the sunset. It means everything is about to be engulfed in darkness." Hakkai replied. "No, young man. This is the sunrise. It shows that even though there is a brief period of darkness, it is merely a prelude to the light. There is always hope to be found in any situation, no matter how bad. Now take this," he handed over a big painting of the couple kissing, "And good luck."

Hakkai grabbed the painting and ran. When he was out of sight, the man's features began to change. Soon, he was no longer a man, but a tall woman with a charka on her forehead, and an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "Run swiftly; he needs you…Cho Hakkai." Kanzeon Bosatsu whispered, before going back to painting the sunset.

Notes: What d'you guys think? Good? Lousy? Please leave feedback so that I know whether to stick to my original plans or not. No, Kanzeon did not make a mistake with the name. And to clarify, I thought that Hakkai would be happier alone with Goku, and thus open up a little, whereas Tenpou would be a bit more subdued as he's in a totally unfamiliar environment, and the others haven't been too helpful in letting him settle down. One last thing. I hate this new quickedit funciton. I can't emphasize words or use my favorite smiley!!! So sad. Oh well. I'll come up with new symbols and probably post them on chapter 17.


	16. Betrayal of trust

**Saiyuki: Switched**

****

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, stuff between 's are actions, words between 's are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 16**

_'Finally…a real town,'_ Tenpou thought as they arrived in a bustling settlement near a river. _'Time to eat real food, sleep in a real bed, and stock up on supplies.'_ The other three evidently shared his sentiments, for the first thing they did was get rooms at the town's best inn. Due to the upcoming Dragon Boat festival, the accommodations were limited, and they found themselves extremely lucky to have obtained two double-rooms across the corridor from each other. As soon as they got their keys, Goku literally dragged Sanzo into one of the rooms, leaving Tenpou and Gojyo to be roommates. _'Looks like I'm not as successful as I thought…'_ the monocled man mused, before he found himself being led into the remaining room by his red haired companion.

He was about to head for the shower when Gojyo stopped him. "I won't deny that I've noticed the change in your behaviour recently," Gojyo stated. "It seems that you're trying to gain Goku's attention, but you're not having much luck. No, hear me out first." Tenpou had tried to make a run for it, but he found two hands firmly planted on his shoulders, effectively immobilizing him. He gave up and sat on the bed. "I've seen Hakkai do this as well," the redhead continued, "and quite frankly, he didn't make much progress either. What you have to understand is that our friend in the other room is simply too devoted to the monk. He wouldn't recognize a confession even if it hit him square in the jaw. If you want him to notice you, you have to make an impact; one that he'll remember for a good period of time."

"But what can I do that will have this effect on him?" Tenpou questioned. "I can't hurt Sanzo, for that would make him hate me, I can't even tell him, because Sanzo would get angry. What other options are available to me?" Upon hearing this, Gojyo faltered. "You're on your own here pal. I really have no idea here. Good luck." he stretched and went out of the room, most probably looking for female company. Tenpou let out a long, harsh breath as he went back to contemplating his problem.

After a heavy dinner, Goku had wanted to go out to take a look at the celebrations. Sanzo had said that it was "too noisy" and that he felt like staying in the inn. Tenpou had leapt at the opportunity to spend some alone-time with Goku. And it was thus that Tenpou and Goku found themselves squeezing through a human sea as they made their way around the town square. Tenpou had suggested that they hold hands to avoid being separated. Goku had agreed, albeit rather unenthusiastically, as he knew that Tenpou had a logical point. But that didn't stop him from feeling a little uncomfortable when the taller man had interlocked their fingers together. Furthermore, the townspeople added to his discomfort by remarking that they made a "cute couple". Tenpou had blushed, but made no attempt to deny the allegation.

----------

Finally, after a few hours, countless "cute couple" comments, and a magnificent fireworks display, Tenpou led Goku to a remote section of the town, where they sat upon bridge which lay across a small stream. Taking off his shoes, Tenpou immersed his feet in the cool water, providing some relief to the forming blisters. As he made a mental note to get a new pair of shoes, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice asking, "Tenpou, what are we doing here?" "Well," he replied, "I just wanted to get away from the noise back there." The boy merely nodded as they lapsed back into silence.

Deciding that it was now or never, Tenpou took both Goku's hands into his own. The younger man flinched and tried to break free, but his hands were held in that vice-like grip. "Goku…I know I've told you this before, but I love you, and I'm willing to do anything in the world for you. I need you, Goku," Tenpou said, eyes pleading. Goku opened his mouth to reply, but Tenpou took the opportunity to press their lips together.

_'This is wrong…so wrong…'_ Goku mentally admonished himself. _'So why don't I break it off?'_ he wondered. _'Am I actually…enjoying this?'_ Truth be told, he was enjoying it. Ever since they continued the journey, Sanzo had been rejecting his advances. Except for that one night with the incident of the misdirected energy flow, Sanzo had pretty much kept to himself. What the monk did not understand was that although Goku's chronological age was 500 years, he was still a teenager in body and mind, and like all teenagers, he had a hormone overflow. As Goku did not believe in self-gratification, his only outlet was on those special nights with Sanzo. But now, there was another channel for him to relieve the built-up frustration. He decided to capitalize on the opportunity. Who knew when Sanzo would accept his initiative?

----------

It was only after everything had come to a white-hot conclusion and Goku extracted himself from the tangle of limbs that the full implications of his deed hit him. _'Oh hell…what have I done!?'_ Haphazardly pulling his clothes on, he sprinted back to the inn. Sanzo would understand. Sanzo would be there to comfort him; to tell him everything was going to work out ok. Tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes as he ran. Why couldn't he have been stronger? Why couldn't he resist Tenpou's advances? Why did he give in? Barrelling through the crowd, he received many strange glances; but the people shut up as soon as they saw his state of anguish. At long last, he saw the inn. He ran through the big double-doors, up the stairs, into the room, and collapsed into the arms of a stunned Sanzo. After ensuring that they were alone, he held Sanzo in a death-grip and broke down completely.

Meanwhile, Tenpou had just recovered from the surprise. Everything had happened so quickly…Goku on the ground, their clothing thrown to one side, the passionate movements. And after it was all over, Goku running like a madman. It was clear that the boy was in a troubled state of mind. He slowly got up, dressed, and began the long walk back to the inn, trying to think of a satisfactory explanation that he could use to pacify a fuming monk.

Notes: So how was it? This idea hit me out of the blue. Hope you guys like it. And to explain something, if you see extra l's or u's in my chapters, it's because the country I'm in, that's Singapore, by the way, has been following the British way of spelling since it was founded. 


	17. Calm after the storm

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 17**

_'Where? Where would he go?'_  Hakkai was at his wits' end. His legs were cramping up on him, and he felt like abandoning that painting, which was cumbersome; not to mention it provided unnecessary weight. But something told him to hang on to it. Looking towards the town, he noticed that its buildings were illuminated by a soft orange glow. _'But the town's to the north…that glow can't come from the setting sun. Don't tell me…'_ Hoping against hope that his suspicions were wrong, he used the remnants of his energy and ran towards the town, fearful of what he might see.

By the time he got to the town, he found that his guesses were accurate. As he walked through the marketplace, he realized that the glow did indeed come from a fire, which most probably started in one of the houses due to a punctured gas line, and spread outwards from there. People lay by the roads, most of them severely injured, and some dead. Thankfully, the town had an efficient team of medical staff, who had taken to the streets to attend to the wounded. As Hakkai watched a few people being wheeled away on stretchers, he observed that even some children had not been spared from Seiten Taisei's wrath. A few of them had an arm or a leg torn off, while others were simply a bloody mess. And yet, the perpetrator had not been found. Offering an earnest prayer for the well-being of the townspeople, Hakkai ran back to the beach as he deliberated on his next destination.

A memory, buried deep in the recesses of his mind, chose that moment to resurface. He could hear Kanan's melodious voice, clear as day, telling him, "If two people love each other deeply enough, they will develop a sort of mutual sixth sense which will kick in at the appropriate times." He could vouch for the reliability of that statement; having experienced it before with her. How else did he know where she was being held prisoner in the huge castle? Remembering past events, he realized that the same telepathy could be developing between him and Goku. At that moment, a voice rang out in his head.

"The inn."

----------

When Hakkai reached the inn, he found it to be surprisingly damage-free, except for the stairs, which had holes smashed through them. Judging from the size of these holes, and the fact there was one on every alternate stair, Hakkai surmised that the holes could have been made by a hammer, or a very powerful pair of legs. Asking the proprietor about a "short, brown-haired demon", he found out that the said demon had charged in and raced up the stairs, apparently in a great hurry; too great a hurry to cause any widespread destruction. Thanking the owner, Hakkai quickly dashed up to his room to confront the world's most powerful demon.

Upon entering the room, Hakkai saw something totally unexpected. A shirtless Seiten Taisei was curled up on the bed, eyes open and alert, but looking abnormally docile. The moment he noticed the door opening, he pinned the other man against the wall, looked up, and blinked in confusion. Didn't this person die only hours ago? Why did he appear here now, looking relatively unhurt? Seeing that there was hesitation in the demon's movements, Hakkai took the opportunity to break free of the hold, but at the same time, he dropped the painting that had been in his arms all this while.

As soon as the golden eyes made contact with the work of art, the limiter belonging to the Goku in the painting glowed, materialized, and affixed itself onto the real Goku's forehead. Nails, ears, hair and teeth retracted as the boy slumped forward, seemingly in deep slumber. Hakkai caught him and laid him on the bed, just draping the blanket over his half-naked form, while he switched the TV on and turned to the news channel.

"And nearly ten hours after the attack by a rampant demon, some semblance of peace and order has been returned to our town. The death toll amounts to a high of one hundred and fifty, while two hundred more people are seeking treatment for injuries. The demon responsible has not yet been found, but……" the newscaster droned on as Goku slept. _'I've always known that Seiten Taisei wields uncontrollable power, but not to this extent…' _he glanced down at the sleeping boy. Was it possible that this was the heartless creature responsible for all the devastation? Seeing that the special bulletin had ended, Hakkai went to the other end of the bed, for fear of disturbing Goku, and retired for the night.

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_'Tenpou…dead. Dead. My fault. Couldn't help…'_ "Tenpou!" Goku yelled as he sat up straight in bed. Hakkai was awakened by the cry, and in a flash, he was beside Goku, comforting him. "Didn't you…didn't you…" Goku let the question hang in mid air. "No, Goku," Hakkai murmured soothingly. "Didn't you know? Gods can't die." Goku looked genuinely confused by this piece of information, so Hakkai didn't pursue the issue. Overlooking the fact that Goku's upper body was devoid of clothing, and that the jeans he wore looked like they were better off in a heap at the foot of the bed, Hakkai set aside his [other] thoughts, locked his arms around Goku's waist and hugged the shorter boy close, fingers drawing random patterns on his back. This seemed to calm Goku down, for he quickly dozed off again, muttering something about a good feeling.

The older man, however, did not return to sleep so quickly. Something puzzled him. Who could be powerful enough to make the painting do that? Nobody could recreate the diadem except Sanzo and……no way. Not [her]. Clearly, that wasn't an ordinary senior citizen. Hakkai wanted to get to the bottom of the matter, and he would do that by seeking the man out tomorrow and getting some questions answered.

[Notes: I don't know why, but I'm not happy with this chapter. Maybe there's too much dialogue. Or poor description. Anyway, hope you all enjoy it!! btw. Anael Razualle: the email you gave me is invalid. I got a "failed sending" message. Just to let you know, you have the full go-ahead to use the "Switched" storyline, as well as my 100% support. As for co-writing, I'll have to decline for now. Don't want to take on more than I can handle. Best of luck!!]


	18. Eyes of the devil

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words between [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 18**

Sanzo rolled his eyes for the fifth time in about half an hour. Time number one was when he heard Goku hurtling through the lobby. Number two was when the door slammed open. Number three was when the door slammed shut two seconds later. Number four, which was accompanied by a little shock, was when the boy dashed into his arms and began to cry. And most recently, number five was when Goku had cried himself to sleep.

Scooping Goku's lean frame into his arms, Sanzo headed for the bed and set his burden down gently, doing his level best not to wake him up. It was only when he was sure that Goku was comfortably settled into deep sleep that he let out the sigh he had been holding for the past ten minutes. _'This is the first time I've seen him so distraught. What could possibly have caused it?'_ Deciding he wanted to hear a definite answer, Sanzo thought that it would be pointless to stay awake any longer. He would wait for Goku to tell him the whole story instead. He lay down beside his lover, his arms unconsciously finding their way around the boy's mid-section. Tomorrow would bring some answers.

At the same time, Tenpou had tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to get drunk. He remembered that his current body could withstand the effects of liquor better than most. He doubted he would get drunk even if he finished all the alcoholic drinks in the bar. Surely the gods were playing a joke on him? He had come so close to the object of his affection, only to get pushed away after the deed was done. To add on to the sense of irony, he couldn't even drink to forget the incidents of a while ago. As he contemplated his situation, he bumped into the most unlikely person: Gojyo.

It would appear that Gojyo had been unable to find female company for the night, for he was walking alone, looking dejected. After striking up a conversation with the redhead, Tenpou found his suspicions had been wrong, but only to a certain extent. Gojyo had indeed found a woman, and was about to, in his terms, "lay her like a brick", but left as soon as she started moaning another man's name. Through their dialogue, Tenpou had discovered that Gojyo hated infidelity above all else, and thus came to the conclusion that he was not the best man to confide in at that moment. Seeing that they were both wandering aimlessly, Tenpou directed them back to the inn, where he slept fitfully throughout the night.

----------

Tenpou awoke with a start. He had dreamt that Sanzo used the Maten Sutra on him, and even put four bullets in his head and into certain sensitive parts of his anatomy as well. Shuddering at the memory, he mentally shook himself and went in search of some breakfast, hoping that the restaurant would be Sanzo-less and more importantly, Goku-less. Meanwhile, Gojyo had just woken up. He was just in time to catch sight of the obvious look of discomfort passing across his roommate's face. But he resolved to worry about that later. He had more pressing matters to see to…like a trip to the bathroom and getting breakfast.

Entering the eatery in the inn, Tenpou felt that luck was partially on his side. Goku had requested to have breakfast in his room, and so only Sanzo was seated at a table, methodically chewing away at whatever was on his plate. Sitting across the table, facing the monk, Tenpou ordered his morning meal. During the wait, he found it highly uncomfortable to have Sanzo watch him, but say nothing. After a few failed attempts to get a conversation going, Tenpou kept quiet and wished that the waitress would hurry up. Trying to talk to that man when he didn't feel like it was similar to using water to start a fire. At long last, the waitress arrived, a tray balanced precariously on her right palm. Tenpou gratefully started eating. Without a distraction, he wouldn't have lasted a second longer under the intense scrutiny.

Finally, after Sanzo was done with his food, he did not get up and leave as Tenpou expected, but continued to sit at the table, seemingly waiting for the other man to clear his plate as well. The moment Tenpou had done that, Sanzo asked him, "During the celebrations yesterday, did anything happen to Goku?" As Tenpou slowly looked up, emerald met amethyst and he knew the battle was lost. He could not lie in front of such a piercing gaze, a gaze which seemed to see into his very essence. The gaze of the devil himself. Lowering his eyes, he slowly mumbled, "After the celebration, Goku and I screwed around. Literally."

As Sanzo digested his breakfast and this fact, his face remained passive, but his eyes began sparkling with intense fury. He quickly got up and left, robe swishing as he turned a corner. Tenpou felt grateful, thinking, _'He took the news much better than I could have ever hoped for.'_ But as soon as Sanzo had rounded that corner, the cool façade cracked. Genjou Sanzo, inheritor of the Maten and Seiten Sutras, youngest Sanzo of his time, was at a complete loss.

[Notes: As usual, please leave feedback. Nothing much to say about this chapter, except that I hope you all enjoy it. Also, please excuse Gojyo's crude choice of words somewhere in the fourth paragraph, as well as anything not up to expectations. I really hope quickedit supports square brackets, because that's what's gonna be used to emphasize words from now on.]


	19. Revelations

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 19**

A knock sounded at the door, startling Hakkai out of his reverie and causing him to reflexively form an energy ball. Making the energy ball dissipate, he answered the door and found the innkeeper, looking highly worried. "I think someone tipped the townspeople off about you guys," he said urgently, coming into the room and closing the door behind him. "There are about forty-five of them in the lobby now, wanting to come up and look for your friend. I told them that you checked out last night. It's not safe here. You'd better go. There's a handy secret passage…" "We don't need it." Hakkai cut him off, and continued, "But why do this for us?"

The innkeeper extended his arms, and Hakkai saw that there was a bracelet on each wrist. As he took one of them off, his ears became semi-pointed and a tattoo of a coiled dragon began to cover the right side of his face. Putting the limiter – for that was the bracelets' true function –  back on, he smiled. "Now hurry, and best of luck." With a quick "Thank you," Hakkai showed the innkeeper out, closed the door again, gathered everything belonging to them, woke Goku, and uttered the teleportation spell that would take them back to heaven.

Upon arrival, Hakkai entrusted their belongings to Goku while he went in search of Kanzeon. After about ten minutes, he found her in a meeting with several other gods. When the goddess saw the figure marching into the room, she adjourned the meeting and went to greet him. "Well," she started, "since we both know about my little masquerade on earth, I guess there's no use in denying it. Ask me anything at all, Hakkai." Staring blankly, Hakkai thought, _'Damn, there goes my cover. But wait…how did she know??'_

I seemed that the Goddess of Mercy was able to read others' thoughts, for as Hakkai tried to verbalize his feelings, Kanzeon spoke again, "Well, I'm sure you know about Tenpou's zero-leave record. He came to work even after being severely burnt by one of Gyumaoh's minions while on a mission. I was rather surprised that he would use the leave Kenren had applied for on his behalf. Furthermore, on the day of your departure, I saw you trying, rather unsuccessfully, to teleport. This, too, struck me as odd, for Tenpou has always been particularly gifted in that area. Upon doing further research, I realized that a very peculiar phenomenon occurred when the shelf landed on you – or rather, him – and when you were knocked out as well. For you see, at that point, the time and elements of 500 years in the future were all perfectly synchronized with the time and elements of now, thereby creating a vortex, where the souls of unconscious or sleeping souls would meet their previous incarnations in a dream. How you two switched places is still a mystery to me, but I'm guessing that it was due to your respective statuses in the Wheel of Life."

Hakkai had only understood about half of what Kanzeon said. "So why didn't this happen to Gojyo?" he asked. "Like I said, it's about your status in the Wheel. I don't think this Gojyo guy's a full-blooded demon right?" Seeing a look of comprehension dawn on Hakkai's face, Kanzeon smiled. "One last thing though," Hakkai suddenly seemed to be troubled, "when are the times and elements going to be synchronized again?" The smile quickly faded from the tall woman's face as she replied, "In about…three hundred years?"

Quietly thanking Kanzeon for her time, Hakkai dazedly wandered back to his room, losing his way a few times in the process. Finally arriving at his destination, he lay back on the bed, wanting to sleep the shock off. While he was lying down, his head collided with something rather small, thin and hard. Looking back, he saw it was a pencil, and it lay on top of a note. The note was written in a relatively childish scrawl, and it read, "Dear Tenpou, gone to see Konzen and Ken-niichan. Be back by dinnertime. Love, Goku." Hakkai smiled slightly. Only Goku would judge time by his stomach. Checking that the bed was now pencil-free, Hakkai lay down and closed his eyes, desperately seeking the tranquility of sleep.

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By the time Goku had came back, almost eight hours later, Hakkai had had some semblance of a good rest, for he looked less tired out. Remembering that he had all-day access to a messy study which might contain a book on time travel, he asked Goku to take him there. Along the way, he began to think. _'Is it right to keep this from Goku? I should be the first to tell him; otherwise he may get the wrong idea should he hear information through other sources. If that happens, he may never trust me or Tenpou again. But I can't possibly tell him about this, especially after [that] night…'_ Hakkai sighed audibly as he walked, causing Goku to turn around, brows already knitted in a concerned frown. Hakkai quickly plastered a smile on his face and urged Goku to continue walking, but he did not miss the disbelieving expression that flitted across the boy's features.

Reaching the study, Hakkai blinked in incredulity at its messy state. His "clean-freak" instinct kicked in, and before he realized it, he was arranging papers and stacking books, but not doing much to improve the cleanliness of the room. Finally giving up, he began his true mission – searching for any and all material on time travel. He didn't limit his search to books; he turned the place upside-down in his frantic hunt. Any document that contained written or printed script was not spared. Looking up from the sea of paper which surrounded him, Hakkai saw that it was two in the morning, and Goku was curled up into a small ball by the entrance. Deciding to let him sleep, Hakkai lifted Goku in his arms and began the walk back to their room. The search would resume tomorrow, hopefully with a positive result.

[Notes: Is it me or is the story becoming a little lame/repetitive? Please give your opinions. The whole "Wheel of Life" concept is based on Buddhist studies, and deals with reincarnation. It's because of this wheel that, in the real story, our handsome Tenpou Gensui is reborn as a pig demon. All because he missed his turn (pun intended).]


	20. Confrontation

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 20**

_'Thank God someone had the brains to invent cigarettes,'_ Sanzo thought. Without these little white cylinders, he was sure that he would have activated the sutra, fired his gun at any moving object, and brought general chaos to the peaceful town. He knew that technically, Goku was not legally bound to him, and that the boy could choose any partner he wanted. He just hoped that Goku would choose wisely. Of course, to Sanzo, that meant he hoped Goku would choose him over Tenpou.

Going back into his room, Sanzo found that Goku had finished breakfast and was in the shower. Deciding to test Goku's honesty, Sanzo stepped into the steam-filled bathroom and saw him in the bathtub, without a stitch of clothing on. Just this sight alone was enough to throw Sanzo's mind into the proverbial gutter, and make him lose all rational thought. _'Ahh…screw the testing. And speaking of screw…'_ Sanzo crept up to Goku – who was still blissfully unaware of the intruder's presence – and dunked his head into the water.

Brown hair broke the water surface first, followed by a pair of golden eyes harbouring murderous intent, and then by a mouth, which quickly formed the words, "What in God's name is going on!!?" As he was about to go on telling the prospective dead man off, he saw whom the guilty party was and shut up immediately. "Well? Cat got your tongue?" Goku merely shook his head, not trusting himself to control his emotions if he opened his mouth. "Look, there's no point lying to you. I know what happened last night, and quite frankly, I didn't expect it, and I'm not too happy with it either. But if you really feel happier with Tenpou, I could…"

Approximately two seconds later, a loud 'crack' was heard throughout the inn. Goku looked down at his stinging hand, and back to the angry red imprint on Sanzo's face, before yelling, "Is this all I am to you!? Something not worth fighting for!? I really mistrusted you, [Sanzo-sama]." Trying hard to prevent his voice from giving his grief away, Goku grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and headed out of the door, effectively ending the conversation. Sanzo rested his forehead against the cool stone wall. _'What did I just do?'_

After getting dressed, Goku went to explore the town. While he was walking past a fruit stall, he caught sight of Tenpou a few metres away, buying some herbs to be used as medicine on the journey. Walking up to the man in green, Goku smiled. Since Sanzo didn't appreciate him, he would find someone that did. Sneaking up behind Tenpou, he was shocked when the taller man turned around and fixed him with a piercing gaze. When Tenpou realized who it was, the stern look in his eye was quickly replaced by a warmer, smiling countenance. Overcoming the initial surprise, Goku went up and kissed him full on the lips, causing him to drop the various packages of medicinal plants.

"Why?" was the simple question asked by the taller figure as be bent down to pick up the items. Goku simply replied, "Because." Liking their arms together, Goku literally dragged Tenpou away from the stall, eliciting several looks of disbelief and surprise from the crowd. When they were a safe distance away, Tenpou began to smile. All the work he put in was paying off, and it was further aided by last night's experience. Well, he would see how long the sun could last without someone to bask in its light.

----------

The group had resumed the journey a few hours ago, and Goku was openly displaying his affection for Tenpou in the back seat. Gojyo, who was still driving due to Hakuryu's obstinacy, thought, _'Those two are really pushing it. Sooner or later, Sanzo's gonna pull out the gun and…'_ Trying to block images of Goku and Tenpou with holes in their heads, he averted his thoughts elsewhere, choosing to focus on the monk in the front seat. _'Look at him…he hasn't said a word since this morning. I bet he's pissed as hell. Poor guy…wait. Did I just use "poor"?? As in I sympathize with him? '_ Shaking his head, he decided he was better off just concentrating on the road. Goku had just caused Tenpou to gasp rather loudly, and Sanzo's eyes were dangerously filled with murderous intent.

----------

"Finally we get to stop." Gojyo's words were muffled as he was suppressing a jaw-cracking yawn. "I'll skip tonight's lesson. Need slee-ahhhhh…" The yawn finally escaped and he went away to sleep. This left Goku, Tenpou, and a very uncomfortable Sanzo standing outside in the night. Wordlessly, the monk got up and left as well, choosing to sleep between Gojyo and a nearby river. _'And now there were two…'_ Tenpou mused as he began the session for the night.

After the usual meditation and stretching, Tenpou remarked, "Goku, you're making tremendous improvement. Quite frankly, I was rather amazed when you nearly cured the injured girl back in the town. She had numerous broken bones, and you actually fused them together in less time than I'd have taken to do so. I want to do a little experiment. What is the most serious injury you think you can manage now?"

When Goku did not respond, Tenpou continued, "Well, I want you to heal my eye."

Goku's eyes opened wide, but he complied. Channeling the energy to his right hand, he placed it over Tenpou's (or rightfully Hakkai's) damaged eye and began to concentrate. After five minutes, the glow subsided. He withdrew his hand, and started to smile. The healing was successful. Those eyes were the same beautiful ones he remembered on the night when Sanzo was sent to apprehend Cho Gonou. He went up and embraced Tenpou, who was still trying to get accustomed to using two eyes again. The taller man merely held him tight, too astounded and overwhelmed for words.

[Notes: I know Tenpou has faced many more frightening people, but in that instance, he's guilty. And that makes him afraid. This chapter may be a little too weird for some people, because I don't even know what the next few chapters are gonna be like. I think this will end in about six to ten chapters down the road. Leave reviews!!]


	21. Back to the future?

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 21**

Even though it was only eleven in the morning, Hakkai had already spent close to five hours in the stifling room, searching for the slightest hint on how to get back to the future. _'It's not that I don't enjoy myself here,'_ Hakkai absently thought as he read through yet another book, _'but I don't [belong]. Sooner or later, someone will find out. Then everyone will know. They'll all think I'm some kind of…'_ Not knowing how (nor wanting) to continue, Hakkai groaned. Life had been so simple just a few days ago. Now everything was a mess. Maybe Kanzeon should be called the Goddess of Chaos instead. Smiling slightly at the thought, Hakkai went back to looking for the book he needed.

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When Goku (literally) bounced into the room about four hours later, he saw that his lover was lying on the floor with a book firmly held to his chest, apparently in deep sleep. Goku was relieved to see that a smile was on the older man's features; all evidence of worry was gone. Planting a chaste kiss on the sleeping person's forehead, Goku smiled as eyelids separated to reveal striking green eyes. "Hey," was Hakkai's simple greeting. Goku helped him up and started dragging him out of the door. "It's Shuen's baking day today! She promised I could help if I was there by...now!! Let's go!" Goku's voice was filled with excitement as he dragged Hakkai to their next destination.

"Hello Goku, glad you could make it." Shuen's cheery voice greeted Hakkai and Goku as they approached the residence. "I see we have another guest. Welcome, Tenpou Gensui." Shuen smiled. "My brother went to earth with Nataku-sama. They said something about visiting their "favourite place". I don't think they'll be coming back any time soon." Then she added in a conspirational whisper, "I think something's up with those two. Maybe they're going out together!" Giggling slightly, she motioned for Goku, who was snickering as well, to follow her, while telling Hakkai to make himself at home.

Once both of them were out of sight, Hakkai took out the book which he had put in his coat pocket. It was titled "A Guide to Advanced Time Travel". Flipping to the first page, he began to read.

_"Time travel, especially travelling to the future, is considered to be one of the most difficult skills in the history of recorded magic. To travel even a few hours back into the past, or forward into the future, one needs a clear mind, focused thoughts, and a natural flair for spells related to the wind element. For travels on a larger scale, say through centuries or millennia, it would be near impossible unless aided by a celestial being of great power. Even then, it might not be successful. In the event that the traveller does succeed, he should bear in mind that he cannot afford to let his past or future selves catch even the tiniest glimpse of him, or the consequences would most likely be fatal."_ This introductory paragraph was followed by pages of extensive incantations and procedures. Hakkai breathed a sigh of relief as he read on. He had fulfilled all the criteria necessary for a 95% success rate. He decided that he would try it the next day, but not before telling Goku the truth.

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By the time Goku had emerged from the kitchen bearing a tray of cookies, Hakkai was already conjuring up little balls of light in a last-ditch bid to kill time. Fascinated by the show, Goku nearly dropped the tray, but Shuen saw the impending crisis and stabilized him. "Tenpou, try some of these," Goku pleaded, looking as though his life depended on Hakkai's verdict. Hakkai picked up one of the charred, brown lumps and put it into his mouth, chewing hesitantly. After a minute, he calmly asked, "Goku, how much sugar did you use?" After receiving a reply, he continued, "Well, I think you mixed your sugar and salt up."

Seeing Goku's horrified expression, he smiled. "But they still taste good though, because you made them to the best of your ability. I wouldn't mind even if you mixed up the sugar and pepper." Goku's face underwent an instantaneous transformation as he beamed with happiness, relief and…triumph?? Sticking his tongue out at Shuen, Goku exclaimed, "Told you so!" and rushed over to Hakkai's side, where he proceeded to give the older man a tight hug. Catching sight of Hakkai's quizzical expression, Shuen explained, "Goku and I had a little wager. I thought that you would be angry when Goku gave you the lousy batch of cookies. Actually," she produced a plate of well-baked cookies. "these are the ones Goku made. He's quite good in the kitchen. And one last thing; there's a folk legend on earth that says if you use your heart and make something for a person you love, you'll share a special bond. I guess you can officially call yourselves boyfriends now" Smiling, she bade them goodbye as she went to clean up.

On the way back to their room, Hakkai and Goku both ate a substantial amount of the cookies, and dropped by Konzen's office to give him those that they couldn't finish. Now they were lying side-by-side on the king-sized bed, enjoying the silence. Hakkai's hand started to make its way under Goku's shirt, teasing various parts of the boy's anatomy. When Hakkai saw that Goku was successfully keeping his composure, he tried another tactic; sliding his hand into Goku's loose jeans. [Now] he was getting all hot and bothered. Hakkai grinned as Goku began to respond in kind, signalling that the night was far from over.

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Both of them lay exhausted on the bed after a draining hour together. Hakkai decided now would be as good a time as any to tell his companion the truth. "Goku," he began tentatively, "what would you do if I told you I'm not Tenpou at all, but a reincarnation of him?" After waiting for a few minutes, Hakkai mustered the courage to glance in Goku's direction, where he saw the boy had fallen asleep. Sighing, he lay on his back, yielding to the temptation of sleep. He would have to get up very early tomorrow.

[Notes: Quite frankly, only the gods know if they have a baking day, but just play along for now ok? Shuen is an original character who will most likely play a bigger role in an upcoming fic I have planned. No prizes for guessing who her brother is. A combined chapter is coming up soon, as soon as Hakkai tells me that he wants to leave Goku and go back to the future. XD Leave reviews!]


	22. Things get better

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 22**

Rivers of any sort were always a form of assurance for Sanzo. Just by being near one, he could keep his anger in check and calmly ponder over his problems without sending a few dozen people to the grave. After all, it was the river that gave Kouryu life, and Kouryu would always feel at home next to it. Sanzo sighed. That thought had inadvertently caused him to remember something he said many years ago when teased about his parentage. _'Koumyou is my father; the rivers are my mother. Such naiveté…If only my father was here too…maybe he would know what to do…'_ Tossing and turning on the ground, it was a long time before he fell asleep.

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By the next morning, Sanzo appeared to have been enlightened. He certainly looked less sullen than before, and he even gave Gojyo the Sanzo equivalent of a "good-morning" – a grunt and a brief pat on the shoulder. It seemed things would soon return back to normal, except for the sleeping arrangements. Meanwhile, Goku and Tenpou appeared to have just woken up, for they came onto the scene now, looking extremely dishevelled. Both of them smiles at Gojyo, but ignored Sanzo completely. Contrary to Gojyo's prediction, Sanzo did not say anything, but left to pack up. Sighing, he left to feed Hakuryu and get ready to set off again.

For the remainder of the morning, the foursome travelled in stoic silence, until a band of demons sprang an ambush on them. The fight was progressing smoothly until Sanzo got wounded; he received three slashes to the abdomen. Without thinking, Goku leapt to his side, quickly healed him, and finished off the demon with a swing of his staff. It was only after their leader was exterminated that the other demons turned tail and ran. When they were sure that there was no sign of more demon activity in the vicinity, they resumed their drive.

Unfortunately, two hours later, Hakuryu broke down. Apparently, Gojyo didn't feed him enough earlier in the day, and due to Sanzo's obsession with making full use of the day to travel, they found themselves walking to the next town while the white dragon recuperated. After doing a calculation, Tenpou announced they would make it by nightfall…if they hurried. So without further ado, they set off on the road to the next city, hoping to arrive before the sky grew dark.

Along the walk, Sanzo noticed that Tenpou and Goku were engaged in a private conversation. Despite knowing that it was wrong to eavesdrop, he slowed down his footsteps to close the distance between them, and let his sharp ears do their job.

"Don't you think you're being unfair to Sanzo?" Tenpou was questioning Goku. Goku replied in the negative by shaking his head and saying, "No. To him, I'm just someone he can use in the night and forget about in the day. I don't want that. I want someone who will at least acknowledge my presence out of bed." _'That's the impression I give him?? Damn it Sanzo, even [you] think you're a bastard. How do you think Goku feels? I really owe him an apology…'_ Reflecting on his behaviour for the past few weeks, Sanzo knew exactly where Goku was coming from. Even though he did not mean to send that impression, he had unwittingly done so through his body language. Realizing that he would not get Goku back unless he actively gave the boy the impression that he was wanted and loved, Sanzo decided to make some arrangements when they got to the town.

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The sight that greeted them when they stepped into town was like no other. Everybody was gathered at the town square, around what appeared to be a crudely-made wooden dummy shaped in the form of a demon. This figure was evidently hastily crafted, for the corners of the mouth were supposed to be curled up in a wicked snarl, but had turned out looking like a jovial smile. The people were cursing it, hitting it, and generally abusing it in all ways possible. Sanzo later learned that there had been a recent demon attack, and the townspeople were doing this to vent their anger, but more importantly to ward off future attacks. _'How foolish…'_ Sanzo thought. _'Reminds me of someone I know.'_ Exhausted after their long walk, they quickly found an inn and settled their accommodation. However, the sight of Sanzo having a quiet word with the manager did not go unnoticed; Gojyo was rapidly putting two and two together and coming up with "I'm sorry".

Through some coaxing, Tenpou had reluctantly agreed to switch rooms with Gojyo, which meant that the redhead was currently rooming with Goku. As they were too tired, coupled with the fact that the kitchen was closed, Gojyo had to put up with [someone's] incessant whining. Finally unable to bear it any longer, he forced his voice to sound normal, "Why don't you take a walk? It'll get your mind off the hunger." Surprisingly, Goku agreed, and left the room without a word. However, he did not get past the door, for he saw a note with his name printed on it in golden ink. Turning the sheet of paper over, he saw that there was a message addressed to him, written in a smooth, flowing script. It read, "If you want food, come to the dining hall in the first floor." His hunger overpowered any rational thought then, and he found himself heading for the dining hall.

As Goku was making his way there, an anxious Sanzo sat in the middle of the hall, wearing nothing underneath his usual robe. He hoped Goku didn't sense anything amiss about the note. But then again, he had no reason to. Snazo was fairly skilled with a pen or brush; the many copies of the Maten and Seiten Sutras on the shelves of the Kinzan temple being testament to that. Of course, these imitation Sutras did not have any power; they were merely the product of his daily lessons, as well as the occasional punishment from Koumyou. All that practice taught him the secret of imitating anybody's writing. On various occasions, he was even forced to forge his mentor's signature when the latter was away from the temple. Without his leathers to protect him, he shivered at the sudden chill, then tensed in anticipation as the door began to open.

[Notes: Yes…I'm taking forever to finish this. But I have an important exam next Monday, and I'm on a sort of writing spree to relieve stress. Not revealing much for fear of spoiling the ending. Leave reviews!]


	23. Absence

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 23**

Konzen closed his eyes and sighed as he heard a loud wail of despair. _'Five…four…three…two…one…'_ Right on cue, Goku burst into the office, almost in hysterics. "Where is he?" Goku asked desperately. Konzen sighed again, leaning back into his chair. It was only nine in the morning; he didn't deserve this. Goku's green-eyed lover had approached the blonde-haired god and asked him to tell Goku a white lie about his disappearance, his excuse being that he had something important to attend to.

Keeping that in mind, Konzen replied, "Well, my aunt sent Tenpou to earth on a top-secret, high-priority mission to……stop a mass rebellion occurring in the south. He won't be back for at least three days." "Oh." was the sad reply as Goku dejectedly walked out of the room. _'You'd better have a really good explanation for this, Tenpou,'_ Konzen thought as he went back to his paperwork.

Goku paid a short visit to Kenren (who was entertaining some guests), Kanzeon (who was in a meeting), and Nataku (who was busy training), before walking aimlessly for another half an hour and meeting Shuen along a pathway thereafter. When the goddess saw Goku, she beamed at him and said, "Tenpou's told me to take care of you in his absence. Feel like coming home with me? I'm doing gardening today." Nodding eagerly, Goku matched his pace with Shuen's as they headed to her house.

Stepping into the courtyard of the big mansion, Goku gaped as he took in what he'd previously missed. Flowers of every shape, size, and colour added some life to the drab, white walls of the house. These flowers carpeted the ground, leaving a narrow path for human movement. _'I wonder why I didn't notice this before…'_ Goku wondered. All he remembered was grass as far as the eye could see. He was about to put his suspicions across to Shuen when she smiled and said, "Isn't it beautiful? All the flowers bloomed at the same time yesterday." His query answered, Goku proceeded into the living room, where he saw a sleeping figure lying on the couch. "Looks like Shien's back," he whispered. Shuen nodded and motioned for him to be quiet. Quietly gathering the necessary tools, they went out to do some gardening.

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After close to five hours of working in the sun and wind, Goku began to feel fatigue creeping up on him. Wiping the perspiration off his brow, he went inside the house for a drink. While in the kitchen, he met Shien, who had apparently woken up, and was making something to eat. Feeling the sudden pangs of hunger, Goku looked hopefully over Shien's shoulder and into the pot. Even though Shien normally had his eyes almost closed, he still noticed the look on Goku's face and offered to split the rice – for that was what he was cooking – with him. The smaller boy then nodded eagerly and sat down to a surprisingly well-cooked meal.

As they sat together, Shien made it known to Goku that he wished for them to spar someday. He had said that it would be an "eye-opener" as the only heretic he had ever trained with was Nataku, and he needed to broaden his horizons. Making a date for their friendly match, Goku went back out to the garden while Shien stayed back to clean up.

By the time Goku felt tired again, it was way past dinnertime. Bidding Shuen goodbye, he slowly made his way back to his quarters. It was only when he got there that he realized that he would be alone that night, and his anomalous fear of the dark kicked in. Quickly slamming his room's door, he ran down the dark, menacing hallways and into the only other safe haven he knew of – Konzen's room.

When Goku reached Konzen's place, he saw that the blonde haired god was not asleep yet, and was struggling to stay awake in order to read through the mountainous pile of papers on his desk. But when he caught sight of the boy at the door, Konzen put down his documents and went over to him. After understanding his predicament and remembering his fear of the dark, Konzen sighed and said, "Well…I suppose you can spend the night here, as long as you go to sleep straight away. I don't need another source of stress." Nodding, Goku went over to the large bed in a corner of the room and lay down on it, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.

Half an hour later, Goku was still lying with his eyes closed, and was still very much awake. He found it particularly difficult to get to sleep with nobody beside him. Sensing a small change in the brightness of the room, he opened one eye to find that Konzen had blown out the candle and was moving towards the bed. Relieved, he feigned sleep and moved to one side to give Konzen some space. Fortunately, Konzen was too tired to notice and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

It was during the next few hours that Goku realized Konzen moved in his sleep – a lot. Throughout the course of the night, he had been kicked thrice, punched and slapped five times, head-butted at least twice, and most interestingly, Konzen had cuddled up to him and called him "Kenren". _'So [that's] why they're being so friendly with each other now. Probably because both of them like to smoke and drink. Luckily Tenpou never moves around this much, or I'd have broken an arm by now.'_ Finding it highly discomforting to be mistaken for someone else, Goku wriggled out of Konzen'sarms and went out to the field of flowers, where he saw that the sun was making its way over the horizon. Mesmerized by the sunrise, he started when a hand clamped down onto his shoulder. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with one of the people he tried to avoid at all costs – Kanzeon Bosatsu.

The initial shock of seeing her face at such close quarters had caused him to fall off the rock he was sitting on; but now that he had regained some composure, he got up and demanded, "Why did you have to send Tenpou off on a mission?" A look of bewilderment briefly flickered across Kanzeon's face before she smiled again. "Well, he [is] the most competent person in the army here, and it would only be logical to send him to do that……important thing." she replied. Somewhat satisfied with the answer, Goku turned away and sighed, still unhappy that his companion was gone. Getting the impression that Goku wasn't exactly ecstatic over this issue, Kanzeon smiled – no, grinned. It was the perfect opportunity to wreak more chaos. She lightly tapped Goku on the shoulder and said, "How about we go see Tenpou? I'm sure he'd be overjoyed." Without waiting for an answer, she began to mutter an incantation, and with a bright flash of light, both of them disappeared.

[Notes: Well, the exam's over, but another one's coming up in July. I'll try to finish this fic before then. We only have about…3 more alternating chapters, maybe 2 combined chapters, and an epilogue to go. I'm not sure whether there'll be any changes, but this is the general outline. The brief Konzen/Kenren suggestion's just for kicks. Also, this chapter doesn't go down very well with me; any ideas why? Leave reviews!!]


	24. Two worlds meet

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 24**

When the door fully opened, Sanzo saw that a sleepy and hungry Goku was walking in. But the moment Goku saw who was seated on a table in the hall, he did an about-turn and was about to head back to his room when he heard a voice. The weird thing was that this voice was not produced vocally, but Goku heard – and understood – it nonetheless. And this voice was clearly telling him, "Please stay." Deciding to heed the instructions, he turned to face Sanzo once again and asked, "Why did you give me that note?"

Sanzo tried his best to compose himself as he replied, "Goku, it's not easy for me to say this, but you mean more to me than any living person on earth and I [will] pay any price necessary to fight for you. I know I've been a total jackass recently, and I want to put this behind us and carry on…" he trailed off. But Goku was too stunned to say anything. He had expected a scolding, a quarrel, or maybe even a fight, but not a confession and an apology. He continued to stare at Sanzo until the latter broke the silence by getting off the table and walking towards him.

At that point, Goku started moving as well, closing the distance between Sanzo and himself. When they were about a metre apart, Sanzo spoke again, "Well? Can I take this as a yes?" Goku paused for a while, then said, "I don't know…what about Tenpou? He'll feel so…used." Sanzo thought over the issue for a while before saying, "Don't worry. Everything will work out in the end. I have a feeling something is going to happen." Ignoring Goku's puzzled look, he moved closer to the boy and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Please say yes, Goku. I can't risk losing someone else…"

Overwhelmed by Sanzo's sudden honesty, Goku simply extended his arms and put them around his sun's waist. He had finally heard the one thing he had been trying to get Sanzo to admit – that he was not always right, that he too had his weaknesses, that he was human. Smiling into Sanzo's chest, he noticed the absence of the usual leather protectors and thought _'Looks like he expected a positive answer. And if I'm lucky, I may still get some food tonight…__'_ Pushing Sanzo onto the table, he proceeded to remove the monk's robes. Sanzo merely lay back, allowing Goku to assume the dominant role for once. They were so absorbed in their activities that hey failed to detect the presence of a pair of emerald eyes at the door, watching their every move.

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By the next morning, it was apparent to Gojyo that Sanzo and Goku had made up, but that it was at Tenpou's expense, for the normally good-tempered man appeared moody and pretty much kept to himself. However, Sanzo and Goku seemed oblivious to this, and went about their daily routines, which made Tenpou seem more pitiful. Gojyo sighed and suggested that Tenpou made full use of his remaining time in the settlement to enjoy himself a little. Seeing that that was the best option available, Tenpou went off to take a stroll.

During the walk, Tenpou started thinking. _'I guess this is how Goku felt when he thought Sanzo was using him. I can't really blame him for going back; I would have done the same…'_ Sighing, he realized that he had unwittingly wandered to the outskirts of the town, and into a nearby forest. Wanting to let off some steam, he gathered some energy and willed it to take the shape of an axe. He then used this energy-axe to chop up some fallen trees, imagining Sanzo's face to be etched into the wood.

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Meanwhile…

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Hakkai had been wandering for close to a day when he arrived at a small town. Most of the townsfolk were friendly, but they had never heard of a band of four people travelling westwards. They suggested that Hakkai go through the forest to the neighbouring town to look for the people there. Gratefully accepting the advice, he set off. He knew that he couldn't be far from Sanzo and the rest; the reason being that he had focused all his thoughts onto his original body while attempting the time travel spell. This in turn would make him appear within three kilometres of them.

Entering the forest, he heard the sound of splintering wood, but thought nothing of it. _'Probably a woodsman at work…I wonder how the guys are doing…does Sanzo still lose his temper as often? Does Gojyo still drink as much as he used to? Does…'_ his thoughts turned to present-day Goku. It would be difficult to look him in the eye again, especially after what happened between him and the Goku in heaven. And the fact that this Goku was in love with Sanzo only made the situation worse. Now he felt like he was cheating Sanzo and taking advantage of Goku in the process.

Sighing, he noticed that the sounds had suddenly stopped, and this in turn made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Quickly leaving the forest, he saw that there was a river close by. Walking briskly towards it, he bent down and drank some water to quench his thirst, and scooped some of the clear, cold liquid up and splashed it on his face, rejuvenating himself. It was only then that he felt something was amiss. Looking across the riverbank, he saw…himself. The shock of seeing his body in a third-person perspective, coupled with his fatigued state, caused him to pass out.

[Notes: The standards of the last two chapters haven't been up to par; and for that, I apologize. I'm still traumatized by the exam and the numerous up-coming holiday lessons. Please bear with me…the next chapter will be a combined one and the entire thing will end in about three chapters' time. Btw. Can someone explain the numbering thing to me? For example, why is Sanzo labeled as 3, Goku as 9, Hakkai as 8 etc. etc. Any clarification would be much appreciated. Thanks and leave reviews!]


	25. Catching up

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 25**

Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo just stood there, not knowing what to say. They were standing around the bed in Tenpou's room, looking at the person lying on it. However, the owner of the room was seated on a nearby chair, watching the proceedings with something close to amusement. The response he received when he carried his own body in was, to put it mildly, shocking. Sanzo had actually looked surprised, while Goku and Gojyo stopped fighting for three whole minutes just to gape at the sight. But the amazement had just about worn off, and the others were returning to their own activities.

----------

As Hakkai awoke, he glanced at the clock out of habit. To his surprise, it was already close to midnight. This probably meant that he was unconscious for a little more than half a day. Looking around once again, he realized that the place looked relatively unfamiliar, not to mention that it was done up rather shabbily.

A sudden rustle in a corner of the room aroused his suspicion, alerting him that there might be someone trying to spring an ambush. Moving as stealthily as possible, Hakkai made his way to that area and saw that a blanket was covering whatever that had made the noise. With a flourish, he snatched the bedspread off and discovered, to his utmost relief, that Hakuryu had chosen to rest there and the sound was due to his tail swishing back and forth.

When the dragon was uncovered, he squeaked in annoyance at first, then blinked, apparently in shock at seeing (or rather sensing) his owner. With a delighted cry, he flew up and settled on Hakkai's shoulder. "Yes, it's good to see you as well, my friend," Hakkai grinned. "Sorry to wake you up. Would you happen to know where Goku's room is?" Hakuryu squeaked obligingly and took flight again, leading Hakkai down the hall, and into the room at the end of the corridor. During the walk, Hakkai tried to cook up an excuse for his late-night visit, and eventually settled on the ever-clichéd "I'm bored and decided to drop by".

Quietly tiptoeing into the darkened room, Hakkai quickly saw that his excuse wouldn't be needed; Goku was fast asleep. Sitting beside the slumbering figure, he watched as Goku began to toss and turn violently. It looked like Goku was haunted by another nightmare. Placing a cool hand on the boy's forehead, Hakkai began softly chanting one of the Heavenly Sutras that he had heard Konzen use. Konzen had said that this particular Sutra would bring clam and inner peace. It was his favourite Sutra, and it was understandable as Goku was constantly on his back. But ever since Goku had fallen for Tenpou, he pretty much left Konzen alone, and Konzen had decided to tell Goku's new lover about the existence of this Sutra. Unfortunately, the switch had taken place, and Hakkai was the one who benefited from the knowledge.

After about five minutes, a tranquil look replaced the frown on Goku's face. As Hakkai had found out during their short break by the sea, the Sutra worked especially well when Goku was uneasy. While studying the boy's features, Hakkai noticed that there was a new scar just below the diadem. _'Careless as usual…'_ he thought, running his fingers over the line. _'But wait…'_ He traced the scar again. _'This injury can't be more than a week old. Yet it's healed so well, and so quickly.'_ Opting to ask Goku about it when he woke up, Hakkai paused, thinking of initiating some sort of physical contact between them. In the end, he decided against it and exited the room as silently as he had come in.

Outside, he mentally kicked himself. He had to be more careful; this was no longer the Goku in heaven. Sanzo would tear him limb-from-limb if he saw what had just transpired between them. Furthermore, it was between him and a sleeping Goku, and this only served to turn the situation against him. Sighing, he made his way back to his room and tried to fall asleep.

Back in the room, a pair of crimson eyes remained open. Gojyo was surprised that Hakkai had failed to notice him. Then again, it was impossible to distract Hakkai when he was really focussed. Gojyo closed his eyes again, relieved that his friend had finally woken up, and surprised that he knew of such a complex Sutra.

----------

When Hakkai next opened his eyes, he felt something was amiss. Maybe it was the fact that there was no chaos or gunshots. This was rather unusual, especially since it was already ten o'clock, and even Goku would have been up by now. Or maybe it was because he was sleeping in, deviating from his daily routine. It didn't help things when he turned to his left and saw his body sleeping in an armchair, sans monocle. Startled by the movement, the man on the chair snapped awake, rose, and bade him good morning. "Well, it's…weird to see myself from an outsider's point of view," Tenpou joked. Hakkai didn't have time to laugh; he felt the same way. For the first time in years, he could see how fake his smile looked, even when it was supposed to be genuine. _'Like plastic…'_ he thought. The others had been around him long enough to differentiate whether a particular smile was real or not, but a passer-by would not be able to discern between the two. Giving a shadow of a grin in return, he headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Meanwhile, Tenpou went over to Sanzo's room, where everyone was gathered, and announced, "He's awake," sitting down a comfortable distance away from Sanzo and Goku. The couple was lying together on the bed engaged in what Gojyo would classify as "foreplay". When he heard the news, Goku looked noticeably happier, which was a great feat, considering the look of pure bliss previously on his face as he cuddled against Sanzo. The monk pretended not to hear anything as he continued playing with Goku's hair, earning a look of utter resentment from Tenpou. Gojyo feigned ignorance and gave the necessary response. A few minutes later, Hakkai walked in, refreshed and wearing a smile. To the others, it was strange how Hakkai's smile still looked false, even on another face. He sat down next to Gojyo and began, "Well, will someone please fill me in on what I've missed?"

Seeing the others' unwillingness, Gojyo cleared his throat. "Well, in summary, we learned some pretty handy skills from Tenpou, your body knows how to use energy in new ways, Goku had a brief fight with Sanzo…" Bullets whizzed by, " but they made up again. Well, that's basically it." Tenpou felt grateful that Gojyo had the tact to leave out the cause and consequences of the fight. He certainly didn't want to be humiliated any further. Every instance of intimate physical contact between Goku and Sanzo was like a blow to his already-bruised ego. Not wanting to put up with it any longer, he muttered something about breakfast before making a hasty exit.

Hakkai, too, was beginning to feel the first pangs of jealousy. _'If I was still in heaven, [**I**] would be doing this to Goku. Now I have to put up with this…'_ At that precise moment, Goku let out a loud moan, causing Hakkai to shift uneasily in his seat. "You know, I think I'm up for some breakfast too," he said, knocking over the chair in his hurry to leave. Gojyo rolled his eyes as he departed wordlessly. "Now that we're alone…" Goku said as he got up to lock the door, "Let's get down to business." Straddling Sanzo's hips, Goku was acutely aware of his lover's state of arousal. Grinding their hips together, Goku stopped Sanzo from pinning him to the bed. "My turn," he breathed huskily as he got to work removing excess clothing. Sanzo left him to it, his own hands busy with their current task of finding all the sensitive spots on the boy's lower back. Given their current mood, and not to mention their state of undress, it was easy to see why Sanzo nearly roared when someone knocked on the door. Quickly shrugging on his robe, he mouthed a silent apology to Goku, who was desperately writhing on the bed, craving his sun's touch.

Opening the door, Sanzo used all his willpower to keep his voice from going any louder than required. "What is it?" The other person, a teenage boy, replied, "A gentleman dressed in green asked me to take this up to you," gesturing to the tray of food balanced unsteadily on one palm. Snatching the tray away, Sanzo was about to close the door when the messenger stopped him. "He also said I would get paid here…"

Now Sanzo was furious. The look he had when he was fighting demons was, compared to this, as meek as a lamb. The only time he had looked as angry as this was when he first met Goku. On their first day together, his new "pet" had gotten the Maten Sutra soaked in a lake, and even unintentionally insulted the late Koumyou Sanzo. Sanzo had come close to using the wet Sutra on him, but stopped for fear of ruining it.

Taking a deep breath, he used all his strength and slammed the door shut, not caring if the other party's foot, or even his head, was still in the doorframe. He had already lost three precious minutes with Goku, and he didn't intend on losing any more time. Quickly turning around and simultaneously taking his robe off, Sanzo returned to the bed, where Goku awaited with a burning desire. If anything, the wait only served to heighten the passion as Goku resumed his ministrations, more forceful, more deliberate than before. Moaning in pleasure, Sanzo closed his eyes as the waves of raw emotion overtook him. He would get back at Tenpou later. On the other hand, maybe he should thank the man instead.

As the couple above were, quoting from Gojyo's extensive vocabulary again, "screwing each other senseless", Tenpou sat at a bench outside the inn, pondering over his last course of action. Was he right, he wondered, to send that boy up? Doing that was like sending a lamb to the slaughter. However, the youngster had seemed to be in serious need of money. _'Oh well…what's done is done.'_ So long as there were no gunshots, Tenpou resolved not to worry. Sighing, he leant back and enjoyed the serenity. That is, until Hakkai sat down beside him.

"As Gojyo said, you've been teaching them some skills. May I know what they are?" Hakkai asked politely as Tenpou internally heaved a sigh of relief. _'Thank God he didn't ask about the fight.'_ "Well," he replied, "Gojyo can do some teleportation now, up to a maximum distance of…five kilometres, I believe. Goku has learnt some advanced healing, and well, he was the one who healed your eye."

Hakkai smiled. He had guessed that Goku would make a good healer. Although he had never tried to heal his eye – he wanted to remind himself of Kanan and he thought it couldn't be done anyway – he seriously doubted he had the power. _'Looks like Goku will surpass me soon…well, he isn't Seiten Taisei for nothing.'_ Wanting to find out more, he turned to Tenpou, but the man was not there any more.

The man in question was walking briskly away from the bench, heading anywhere, as long as it was far away from the other four people. Now that Hakkai was back, Tenpou felt like he didn't belong in this time any more. Not that he belonged here in the first place anyway. Deciding to go to the forest again, he set a course there, but stopped when he heard a whine. It sounded terribly Goku-like. Then, there was an exasperated sigh and the words, "Look here, monkey! We're late by a day already! We have to explain things to Konz…Sanzo and the others!"

_'Odd,'_ Tenpou thought. _'The voice sounds feminine.'_ Walking towards the source of the sound, he saw Goku, the one from five hundred years ago, alongside an irritated Kanzeon Bosatsu, who had done a rather convincing job of disguising herself as a rich lady. It was only through hundreds of years of interaction with the Goddess of Mercy that Tenpou was able to see through her disguise. Running towards them, Tenpou was overwhelmed by the sight of [his] Goku and caught him in a tight embrace. However, Goku merely looked surprised and said the very thing Tenpou was dreading to hear.

"Do I know you, mister?"

[Notes: Hope this doesn't confuse you all. If it does, just read through it a second time. You'll get the idea. Sorry for the lack of updates. Holiday lessons are a real killer. This is the first of two combined chapters, which means that the end is near. Oh no! So sad, isn't it? I've got a new fic planned, but I won't reveal anything yet. As usual, any form of feedback is much appreciated. I'll leave you with the customary "Leave reviews!"]


	26. Sacrifice

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 26**

_'Do I know you, mister?'_

Tenpou was devastated. He vaguely heard himself reply, "No…no. It was a mistake," before he started running. Not running to anywhere, but running [from] the two figures on the street. And he didn't stop until his legs gave out under him, almost on the other side of town.

Goku just stared at the figure that was rapidly disappearing through the crowd. But a surprisingly strong hand was pulling him along. Kanzeon had apparently become impatient. Jerking his hand free, Goku silently followed the Goddess as she made her way to the inn.

Sanzo held his lover tightly to his chest. It had been ages since he'd felt this satisfied. Of course, Goku's teasing had helped. He'd never have guessed that Goku could use his hands so well after a little stimulus like the wait. Gazing down at the boy sleeping in his embrace, Sanzo finally allowed a smile to grace his features. It seemed paradoxical that the uncontrollable force of Seiten Taisei was sleeping so peacefully. Then again, a high-ranking monk seeking such worldly pleasures was equally contradicting. As he got absorbed in his thoughts, the veil of sleep spread itself over him, lulling him into slumber.

Hakkai groaned. Sitting on a hard bench for long periods of time was [not] good for his rear end, no matter which body he was in. Opening the inn's door, Gojyo came into view. "Looks like we'll be staying for another night," he quipped as he lit the end of yet another cigarette. Hakkai smiled weakly. _'Another night of noise coming from the adjoining room. Another sleepless night.'_ Walking upstairs, he vaguely heard Gojyo shout in surprise, before he felt a pair of hands grab his own. Turning around, Hakkai realized that he was face-to-face with a pair of golden eyes – belonging to the Goku in heaven 500 years ago.

Some people say fate has a nasty way of playing tricks on you. Hakkai experienced this first-hand when the present-day Goku came running down the stairs. As the two Gokus met, something sparked in their eyes. Quicker than Hakkai and Gojyo could register, both of them had started fighting. Of course, the Goku of the past was disadvantaged; he did not have his staff, nor did he know how to use his inner energy to his advantage. As a result, he was barely holding his own against his future self, which was no mean feat in itself. Fortunately for him, a voice cut in sharply, "STOP!!" Both of them instantly sprang apart. Kanzeon Bosatsu, who had been quietly standing in the doorway, strode over to the combatants and took hold of an ear on each of their heads. Leading them up the stairs, she motioned for Hakkai and Gojyo to follow. Hakkai vaguely heard her muttering about "idiotic hyperactive monkeys" and other related topics. Shaking his head, he went upstairs as well.

----------

"So…that's what happened…" realization began to dawn on the rest. "Now, all we have to do is perform something called a 'soul swap' on Tenpou and Hakkai, and everything will be back to normal." Kanzeon finished. "Of course, the problem is now to find Tenpou." Gojyo noticed that the past-Goku was looking a little subdued. Feeling his big-brother instinct kick in, Gojyo sat down beside him and asked, "What's wrong?" Goku just sighed. "All along, I thought that your friend was Tenpou. We even did some…things," he blushed. _'Wow…this Goku sure is different; almost childlike.'_ Hoping to offer the boy some measure of comfort, Gojyo put an arm around him. "Well, even before this happened, Hakkai was sort of secretly in love with you already. I guess to him, this was a dream come true. Besides, Hakkai is Tenpou's future incarnation, so you probably have a bond already." Goku's head bowed further. "But it's not the [same]," he said, then sighed again.

Finding nothing better to say, Gojyo went out of the room, presumably to look for Tenpou. Noticing that Gojyo was done, Hakkai felt that it was time for him to do his bit of explanation. But as soon as Goku saw Hakkai approaching, he shrank away from the other man. Seeing that it would be wiser to wait until Goku began to trust him again, Hakkai backed off. Meanwhile, Sanzo's lover was not exactly having an easy time himself. "Sanzo…" he moaned, "my head hurts." The monk was watching over his charge with a worried expression, doing his best to alleviate the pain. A soothing word, a distraction, anything that would take Goku's mind off his headache. However, he wasn't very successful, evident from Goku's pained whimpers.

Hakkai decided to help out. Sweeping Goku's hair out of his eyes and back over his forehead, a gesture which he had become accustomed to doing over the past days, Hakkai laid a cool hand on the warm forehead and began chanting. After the chant was completed, Goku fell back, fast asleep. "Dreamless sleep," Hakkai explained after he caught sight of Sanzo's bewildered expression. As it was pointless to stay in the room any longer, Hakkai made himself useful and went out to help to find Tenpou. Unknown to him, the other Goku was following closely behind, wanting to muster up the courage to confront him.

While walking, Hakkai heard a very familiar scream. Sprinting to the source, he saw Gojyo confronting his body, only in demon form. Tenpou must have knocked the limiters off, either accidentally or deliberately. Normally, Gojyo could defend himself against the attacks, but now that a god's spirit was in Hakkai's body, it served to enhance its strength and durability. In spite of being armed with his weapon, Gojyo was repeatedly bashed against a thick tree trunk, and Hakkai was sure that he was suffering from severe internal bleeding and many broken bones. Walking into plain sight, Hakkai hoped that he could distract the aggressor for as long as necessary for Gojyo to escape. However, after showing initial interest in this prospective target, the demon made a lunge for Hakkai's right, where he picked up a small figure. Apparently, Goku was trying hard not to be noticed, but that only made him seem all the more obvious to the heightened senses of the god-demon. Hakkai tried to defend Goku, but was battered into the ground for his effort.

While Hakkai had diverted the demon's attention away, Goku had taken the chance to bite the hand that held him captive. As the aforementioned hand loosened its grasp, Goku lashed out and kicked his captor's shin. When he was not being held any more, he dropped to the ground and tried to make a run for it. Despite being incapacitated, Hakkai's body was still strong enough to throw an energy ball of massive proportions in Goku's direction. Hakkai's eyes widened in shock as he watched Goku catch a glimpse of the ball and try to pick up speed. Knowing that it would be futile, Hakkai used everything he had to make a mad dash towards the energy ball, using his body as a human barrier. He heard footsteps, two people yelling simultaneously, a louder scream, and sank into unconsciousness.

[Notes: Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? -counts- About…27 days. I guess the only excuse I have is that I was stuck, for a really long period of time. For those who haven't given up waiting, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now that two Gokus are in one world, it gets a bit more confusing, but I trust you'll figure it out. And a little quote: "...there's a hormone secreted into the bloodstream of most writers that makes them hate their own work while they are doing it, or immediately after." Leave reviews!!]


	27. Goodbye and a solution

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Chapter 27**

All eyes were on Hakkai as he fell in a slow arc. The instant his body touched the ground, Gojyo tried to rush over to help him, but yelled in pain as his injured ribs were jarred with the action of getting up. At that same moment, Sanzo arrived on the scene, having finally been persuaded to leave Goku's side to join the hunt for Tenpou. As he saw the ball impacting Hakkai, Sanzo involuntarily yelled as well, but only because Tenpou had turned around and sent a similar energy ball speeding towards him. Fortunately, he was at peak physical state and, with a bit of luck, dodged the ball. Enraged that the nosey monk didn't die from the initial attack, Tenpou snarled, and Sanzo found himself dealing with a few more smaller, but equally deadly projectiles.

As Sanzo avoided the deadly missiles, Goku, who was sitting beside Hakkai's limp form, saw a similar scene replay in his mind's eye. A dagger, plunging into the body, the same body protecting him from certain death, the same sense of helplessness each time such a scenario happened. Screaming in anguish, he was about to lose control, when a quiet voice played in his mind, _'Didn't you know? Gods can't_ _die.'_ These words, said in the soft tones which he had become accustomed to, helped jolt him to his senses. Unable to do anything else, Goku just held the body in his arms, willing it to come back to life soon.

Under normal fighting circumstances, Gojyo would only feel irritated at the various demons that swarmed around them. But now, it was one of the rare times he felt fear course through his veins. He had seen what Hakkai was capable of doing in demon form when Homura's entire "divine army" was reduced to nothingness. Moreover, a stronger spirit was inhabiting the body. Add that on to a relatively unstable state of mind, and there was no telling what damage Tenpou could do. Ignoring his injuries, Gojyo took a deep breath and teleported behind Tenpou, hoping to launch a surprise attack. As though sensing Gojyo's presence, Tenpou's eyes began to glow intensely, with the deep green shade of emeralds. For all Gojyo's efforts, it would have been better if he had stayed under the tree he was smashed against; for if anything, he was more seriously wounded now. Coughing up blood, he could no longer find it in himself to stay conscious, and he fell unceremoniously onto the ground.

Sanzo cursed. Even though he always said that he would shoot any member of the party at whim, he was having reservations about pulling the trigger. _'You're getting soft, damn it,'_ he thought, as he moved in closer, ducking under a claw swipe, then elbowing the demon in the side. As they faced off again, Sanzo had a brainwave. As Tenpou forged one of his energy-bombs, Sanzo sent a bullet into the unfinished sphere, triggering off something like a mini-nuclear reaction. The resultant energy was enough to send Tenpou flying a distance away, breaking several branches off their trees as he went.

----------

"WAKE UP ALREADY!!"

Two figures were abruptly awakened. They looked across the bed and into each other's eyes. To them, it was slightly discomforting as they were both staring into the exact same shade of green. Hastily looking away, they froze, then turned their heads back to face each other once more. Tenpou stood up first, looking at the body he had had for the past week or so, still seated on the bed. Glancing into a nearby mirror, he saw that he was reunited with his own body. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hakkai making the same observation, and that his limiters were back in place, presumably thanks to Sanzo.

"Well, it's about time," an exceedingly familiar voice rang out, "I did the soul swap hours ago." A grinning Kanzeon Bosatsu made her presence known. "We really have to be going now," she added, referring to herself and the past-Goku, who was standing by her side. As she was about to reach for the door, it swung open of its own accord.

Seeing the Goddess of Mercy look surprised was not a daily occurrence. It was even more rare to see her slack-jawed, gazing at herself. And it wasn't through a mirror either. Two Kanzeons stood face-to-face in the doorway, both bearing a slightly lost expression. Only Goku, who had a similar encounter before, could fully appreciate the absurdity of this situation; the rest were stunned as well. However, Goku's laughter soon jerked them back into reality, and they all found themselves joining the laughing. Between breathless gasps of air, the Kanzeons told them to gather outside in a little clearing behind the inn, for they had been brought back to the town to recuperate.

In a few short moments, everyone was assembled at the little plot of land. The past-Kanzeon explained everything, and said, "We would love to stay for a while longer, but we really have to get going. Goku's headache," she gestured to Sanzo's charge, "was caused as he would very soon cease to exist due to his past self being in the same time as him. If we stay longer, the same may happen to me. Therefore, we must make haste in leaving." The Kanzeon of the present quickly offered to send them back, as her past self was exhausted after returning their bodies to their proper owners. Creating a hemisphere of light around herself, she told the relevant people to step inside with her, as she had to go along in order to transport them.

Before they left, Kanzeon of the past went up to the Goku of the present, and said, "since you've seen this, the time is right for you to know. So here's a little parting gift." Putting her hands on either side of his head, she unlocked the memories of the days he spent in heaven. The Goku of the past also went up to Hakkai and said, "Thank you, for everything," encircling Hakkai's waist with his arms. "I'll never forget the beach," he added in an undertone as he reached up to capture the older man's lips with his own. Breaking the brief contact, Hakkai used every ounce of willpower in his body to remain rooted to the spot, to not give in and join him in the light. The three figures stepped into the dome, which glowed brighter than ever, and vanished in a bright flash. It was only after the flash had subsided that Hakkai remembered catching sight of something on Goku's neck before he disappeared. Apparently, Goku saw it too, for an unreadable expression came over his face.

----------

As days passed, the subject of the alternate timezone was seldom brought up, if at all. Goku noticed that Hakkai was doing his best to avoid him. With the new memories, he could see why, too. It was amazing how creative the man could get when they were alone, regardless of location. Finally, he couldn't stand it any more. After a particularly satisfying session with Sanzo, Goku made his proposal clear.

When Sanzo first heard Goku's idea, he nearly threw a fit. However, as time went by, he could see where Goku was coming from. This suggestion would open up so many new possibilities for the both of them, and possibly more. It was time to put the plan into action.

Hakkai felt cornered. Goku and Sanzo were flanking him and watching him with a kind of predatory look which was more commonly seen on a tiger. Goku then started whispering earnestly into his ear, while Sanzo merely listened. As he heard more and more, his smile grew wider and wider. When Goku had finished, Hakkai turned and addressed Sanzo, "It's ok with you?" Sanzo just nodded, barely concealing the small smile that curved his lips. "In that case," Hakkai replied, "let's go!" Picking Goku up in his arms, Sanzo followed behind at a leisurely pace. Being the last to enter the room, he closed the door behind him. Travelling west would be better than ever, now with their new "sleeping arrangements".

As Sanzo slept, Goku nudged Hakkai, hoping that he was awake. When the green-eyed man responded, Goku took something out of his jeans, which, incidentally, were flung somewhere in the vicinity of the headboard. After retrieving the object he was looking for, he showed it to Hakkai, who gaped. It was the same ring, the one he had given Goku while on the beach. "I always knew this was important, but I never really knew where it came from," Goku said. "Thank you." Another odd expression came over him, and he smiled again. "I did keep my promise after all," he murmured thoughtfully, before kissing Hakkai, whose mouth was still slightly open. _'Promise?'_ Hakkai wondered, before ignoring it. What he had was good enough already; there was no need to complicate matters.

Before he slept, Hakkai channelled his energy into a fine, oddly purple-coloured beam, which emitted from his finger. The finger was tracing out something inside the band of silver. Finally, finished with his handiwork, he glanced at Goku (who was already sleeping) before leaning back onto his pillow and following suit. And so the three figures slept, a pair lovers from the past, another in the present, and a new solution to the Goku-struggle. It was amazing that nobody had thought of this earlier.

END

[Notes: Well, it's the end of the road for Switched. No, wait. Not quite. There's still an epilogue for both heaven and earth, which will most likely be posted on the same time as you see this chapter. So, ­what do you all think? This is the first piece of writing which offers Goku, Sanzo, and Hakkai in the same bed!! At least, I think it is. Haven't read anything like it on (or anywhere else, for that matter). Remember, whether you think it's an innovative solution or a piece of crap, just leave a review so that I know. Thanks!]


	28. Epilogues

**Saiyuki: Switched**

**Summary:** Basically an alternate timezone fic. In one timezone, the journey is still in progress and Goku still loves Sanzo. However, in Heaven, Goku is more attracted to Tenpou, who returns his feelings. What will happen when Tenpou switches bodies with Hakkai?? does not follow the events of Saiyuki AT ALL.

Stuff in italics are thoughts, words in [ ]'s are emphasized, and ---------- denotes an interval in time

**Epilogues**

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In heaven  
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Tenpou was lying on his bed. After being back in heaven for a few days, Tenpou was already wishing he could go to earth again. The politics were too much for him. Luckily, he had one thing that few people had – someone to be by his side and reassure him everything was fine. At that moment, that someone was curled up beside him, trying to start a conversation.

Listening to the boy speak, Tenpou's mind drifted back to the "switched days", as he had taken to calling that particular period of time. He was aware, now more than ever, that should Goku ever fall for someone else, the blow would be too great for him. It was thanks to Sanzo that the realization had dawned upon him. Making up his mind, he turned to Goku.

"Goku, nothing in the world will ever come between us again," he whispered, as Goku looked up at him, surprised at his sudden statement. _'Maybe the gods wanted more than one person to learn a lesson.' _He felt Goku lean against his chest, and pulled him even closer. Smiling, he closed his eyes. As long as he had Goku by his side, he could put up with anything those corrupted upper powers threw at him.

Goku, too, was thinking of his time while Tenpou was switched. Even though he wasn't really Tenpou, Hakkai had given Goku the impression that he loved him as much as Tenpou did, if not a little bit more. Looking up at Tenpou, he saw that the man was asleep. _'Work must be tiring,'_ he thought. His hands moved subconsciously to his neck, letting the fine chain slip through his fingers. Finding the ring purely by touch, Goku ran a finger round its inner circumference, suddenly frowning. One part felt sunken in.

Quietly disentangling himself from Tenpou's hold, Goku went to the window and inspected the ring by moonlight. There, he saw that the sunken part was actually an engraving. Two hearts, one green, and one gold, were placed slightly apart, and joined with an arrow.

Walking back to Tenpou, Goku whispered in his ear, "No matter what happens to us in the future, I'll be by your side, I promise." Lying down beside his lover, Goku slept. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, and new possibilities. He still had a sparring session with Shien to attend.

Not-so far away, a scream of pure terror rang through the still night air. Two aunts were really too much for Konzen to handle. But still, the couple slept on, undisturbed.

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On earth

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Gojyo sighed. This wasn't happening. Now his companions never had to worry about not getting satisfied, while he was left struggling to find willing targets. Keyword: willing. Most of the girls were not good-looking enough, too good-looking, or simply scared away by Sanzo._ 'Damn monk. He must get his kicks depriving people of what they want the most,' _Gojyo sighed inwardly. _'Good thing Hakkai's there to give him constant reminders and an occasional bit of competition,'_ he smirked at this. Now, the other three were huddled close together at a table, examining a ring.

Goku positively beamed. Looking at the ring, he saw that an amethyst heart was placed in the middle of the two existing ones, overlapping the green one a little, while a tiny part of it was hidden under the gold heart. After learning how Hakkai had done it, Goku and Sanzo could not help but think that he was good with his fingers, no pun intended. As both of them looked to Sanzo for his opinion, he allowed his carefully built-up shields to fall, and broke out in a smile.

[Notes: Now it truly ends. It's been a blast writing this, and I'm thinking of doing another fic next, also set in this universe. It focuses on the heaven side, and it's for a really under-written character. Wait for it, ok?

Throughout the course of the three-odd months it has taken to complete this fic, I've learnt some really important lessons, some of which can be applied to real life as well. Here they are:

**_ Always_** review another author's work, which translates to giving others recognition for a job well done. Even though you may just offer a simple word of encouragement, it may mean the world to the person on the receiving end. I've taken to writing more reviews for other particularly good fics ("A Simple Kiss", and "Don't Speak", anyone?) when I'd just have saved my comments in the past. All my reviews (even though there aren't that many) have been the driving force behind my writing, and I try my best to twist my fic a little to incorporate some suggestions and hints (Such as "bring Sanzo and Goku together, or we'll have your neck!").

Don't be afraid to air your views. As long as you don't insult anyone, your point of view would most likely be taken into consideration. Of course, in the event that a friend knows who you are online and thinks any less of you after reading the stuff you write, he/she is no friend of yours. However, this may not always apply in real life, where certain topics are rather sensitive.

Always meet your deadlines. I think I may have lost some readers towards the end of the fic because of the delay in updating (btw. Can anyone tell me where ChaosDaughter went?). And, quite frankly, some fics have also lost me as a reader due to the lack of updates. This only serves to reinforce the message.

Lastly, give people credit where it's due. I'm sorry to hear that keistie's (and some other authors') stories were stolen. The thief/thieves should be boiled in hot mercury. And speaking of credit, here's to all the reviewers that have taken the time to provide new POVs to the situation. It was refreshing to look through another's eyes and adapt the story to suit some ­conditions (ie. Sanzo/Goku). I'll never forget keistie's humourous way of reviewing, nor will I forget ChaosDaughter's more candid style. And I'll admit, it was an honour to have Anael Razualle take interest in the "Switched" idea. Hope the story's coming along ok. To all other reviewers, maybe it's because you all came in a little late, but I don't have that strong an impression of you all, and I apologize for that. But thank you all the same.

Thank you all ever so much, and I look forward to your continued reviewing for any projects over the horizon. And please forgive minor errors; that's what occasionally happens when you don't have a beta-reader.]


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